Understanding Copyright

If you put your work online without paying attention to copyright issues, you may have no control over how your work is used in the future. The more specific you are in defining your copyright claim, the better off you'll be if you need to go after someone who abuses your work. Stanford University has an excellent resource for those new to copyright issues.

We recommend Creative Commons for writers of all sorts. Once you have your work online, you can go to their website and pick a license customized for your needs. Creative Commons also lists any work registered under their licenses in a searchable database, connecting creator and audience.

You should also take a look at the University's polcies regarding copyright. Understanding how this issue is dealt with inside of large institutions is increasingly important, especially for academic writers.