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Submitting your paper
After acceptance
How do I obtain a Copyright Transfer Form?
Can I post my article on the Internet?
What rights do I retain as author?
Why does Elsevier Science request transfer of copyright?
Why does Elsevier Science believe it needs exclusive rights?
How do I obtain permission to use material from Elsevier Science Publications?
How do I obtain permission from other Publishers?
Where should I send requests for permission that I receive from other authors?
Can you provide me with a PDF file of my article?
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How do I obtain a Copyright Transfer Form?
You will receive a form automatically by post once your article is received by Elsevier Science's Production Department.
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Can I post my article on the internet?
Please see the next section: What rights do I retain?
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What rights do I retain as author?
As an author, you retain rights for large number of author uses, including use by your employing institute or company. These rights are retained and permitted without the need to obtain specific permission from Elsevier Science.
Patent and trademark rights or rights to any process or procedure described in the article.
The right to photocopy or make single electronic copies of the article for their own personal use, including for their own classroom use, or for the personal use of colleagues, provided those copies are not offered for sale and are not distributed in a systematic way outside of the employing institution.
The right to post the article on a secure network (not accessible to the public) within the employer's institution.
The right to retain a preprint version of the article on a public electronic server such as the World Wide Web. Elsevier Science does not require that authors remove from publicly accessible servers versions of their paper that differ from the version as published by Elsevier Science. See also our information on electronic preprints for a more detailed discussion on these points.
Posting of the article as published on a public server can only be done with Elsevier Science's specific written permission.
The right, subsequent to publication, to use this article or any part thereof free of charge in a printed compilation of works of their own, such as collected writings or lecture notes.
If the article is a "work for hire" made within the scope of the author's employment, the employer may use all or part of the information in this article for intra-company use.
The right to include the article in a thesis or dissertation provided that this is not to be published commercially.
The right to present the paper at a meeting or conference and to hand copies of the paper to the delegates attending the meeting.
The right to publish a different or extended version of the paper so long as it is sufficiently new to be considered a new work.
The right to expand the article into book-length form for publication.
The right to re-use parts of the paper in other works, provided that the new work is not to be published commercially.
Other uses by authors should be authorized by Elsevier Science through the Global Rights Department, and authors are encouraged to let Elsevier Science know of any particular needs or requirements.
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Why does Elsevier Science request transfer of copyright?
Elsevier Science wants to ensure that it has the exclusive distribution right, for all media. Such a right can be obtained through an exclusive license from authors, but there is virtually no difference between transfer and exclusive license. Given that there is virtually no difference, it seems to us that transfer does give an advantage in the elimination of any ambiguity or uncertainty about Elsevier Science's ability to distribute or sub-license.
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Why does Elsevier Science believe it needs exclusive rights?
The research community needs certainty with respect to the validity, normally obtained through the peer review process, of scientific papers. The scientific record must be clear and unambiguous. Elsevier Science believes that by obtaining the exclusive distribution right it will always be clear to researchers that, when they access an Elsevier Science site to review a paper, they are reading a final version of the paper which has been edited, peer-reviewed, and accepted for publication in an appropriate journal. If Elsevier Science did not obtain exclusive electronic rights, it is likely that versions of scientific papers would clutter the Internet without clarification of the scientific status of such versions. See also our information on electronic preprints for more detailed discussion on these points.
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How do I obtain permission to use material from Elsevier Science publications?
Requests for permission to reproduce materials from books and journals published by Elsevier Science BV, Elsevier Science Ltd, Elsevier Science Inc, Elsevier Science SA, Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd and the Pergamon imprint are handled by the Global Rights Department in Oxford.
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How do I obtain permission from other publishers?
A letter [ Word document or pdf ] is available to help you prepare your request to another Publisher to reproduce their material in an Elsevier Science publication.
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Where should I send requests for permission that I receive from other authors?
Please forward requests to re-use all or part of your article, or to use figures contained within it, to the Global Rights Department.
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Can you provide me with a PDF file of my article?
Unfortunately, for logistical reasons it is not currently Elsevier Science policy to provide PDF files. If this poses a particular problem for you or if you have a specific requirement, please contact the Global Rights Department.