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Citation Management

Copyright

The Saskatchewan Health Authority Library adheres to Canadian Copyright law, and license agreements for all electronic resources.

  • It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in compliance with Canadian Copyright law and electronic resource license agreements. Fines for being found guilty of copyright or license agreement infringement can be significant.
  • Licensed electronic resources include databases, electronic journals, electronic books, and point-of-care tools purchased by the SHA or the Saskatchewan Health Information Resources Partnership (SHIRP). Vendors can place greater restrictions or freedoms on the use of their electronic resources, which supersedes copyright law.
  • Fair Dealing is an exception in the Copyright Act and Copyright Modernization Act that allows for the reproduction, without permission from the copyright holder, of one copy of an insubstantial portion of an original work for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody, satire, criticism or review.
  • © The copyright symbol is a reminder. All original works are protected by the Copyright Act, regardless of whether the copyright symbol is displayed or not.

 

What you need to know:

These guidelines provide you with some common dos and don’ts related to copying and using original works.

In general, you can:

  • Include information (a direct quote or paraphrased content) found in an original work in your own written work (e.g. research paper) as long as you properly cite and credit the source
  • Print one copy of an article received in a digital format through interlibrary loan

In general, you cannot:

  • Print copies of an article retrieved through interlibrary loan (as you have already received the one copy that is permitted by copyright law)
  • Use a digital copy of an article retrieved through interlibrary loan for more than 5 business days
  • Save a digital copy of an article retrieved through interlibrary loan

Still have questions? Contact us!

‘Print materials’ refers to all print copies of journals, clinics, books, etc. ‘Print materials’ do not include any diagrams or images contained within the text.

You can:

  • Make one copy for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody or satire
  • Make one copy for the purpose of criticism, review or news reporting as long as you properly cite and the credit the source
  • Make one copy of less than a “substantial part” of a journal issue, clinic, or book
  • Make one copy of less than a “substantial part” of a newspaper or magazine issue that was published at least one year ago

You cannot:

  • Make multiple copies of articles for distribution to others (including journal clubs), unless you seek permission from the copyright holder
  • Copy a “substantial part” of a journal issue, clinic or book, unless you seek permission from the copyright holder
  • Change, modify or adapt an original work

Still have questions? Contact us!

Diagrams, images, tables, figures, graphics and photographs are viewed as stand-alone works and hold a separate copyright from any text that they are included in.

You can:

  • Make one copy for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody or satire
  • Make one copy for the purpose of criticism, review, or news reporting as long as you properly cite and the credit the source

You cannot:

  • Include a diagram, image, table, figure, graphic or photograph as a part of your own work without permission from the copyright holder (this includes the use of comics)
  • Change, modify or adapt an original work

Still have questions? Contact us!

‘Audio and video’ refers to all physical and digital copies of audio and video recordings.

You can:

  • Make one copy for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody or satire
  • Make one copy for the purpose of criticism, review, or news reporting as long as you properly cite and the credit the source

You cannot:

  • Display a video recording in a public area, such as a waiting room, without public performance rights
  • Display a video recording over a hospital television network or intranet without broadcast rights
  • Change, modify or adapt an original work

Still have questions? Contact us!

Data and facts are not protected by the Copyright Act. A particular presentation of data or facts is protected, however.

You can:

  • Copy and use data or facts in your own work as long as you properly cite and the credit the source

You cannot:

  • Copy or use a table, graph, or any other representation of data or facts without the permission of the copyright holder

Still have questions? Contact us!

Content found on the Internet does have copyright protection.

You can:

  • Make one copy for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody, or satire
  • Make one copy for the purpose of criticism, review, or news reporting as long as you properly cite and credit the source
  • Upload/download information onto/from the Internet such as text, images, and video/audio clips that are in the public domain or for which the copyright holder has granted permission

You cannot:

  • Upload/download any content onto/from the Internet such as text, images, and video/audio clips without the permission of the copyright holder
  • Forward emails containing original ideas or creative content without the permission of the author

Still have questions? Contact us!

‘Licensed electronic resources’ refers to all paid subscription resources, including databases, electronic journals, electronic books, and point-of-care tools.

You can:

  • Print, copy or download licensed electronic materials for work-related purposes
  • Print patient education handouts for patients

You cannot:

  • Email (as an attachment) licensed electronic materials
  • Print, copy or download an entire issue of an electronic journal at one time or over consecutive sessions
  • Print, copy or download the entirety of an electronic book at one time or over consecutive sessions without verifying that the vendor allows this (some do, so please check with us)
  • Print, copy or download content from any licensed electronic resources for family, friends, or colleagues

Still have questions? Contact us!

‘Open Access’ refers to original scholarly works that are available through unrestricted online access.

You can:

  • Make one copy for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody or satire
  • Send a link to open access content by email
  • Make one copy for the purpose of criticism, review or news reporting as long as you properly cite and the credit the source
  • Make one copy of less than a “substantial part” of a journal issue, clinic, or book

You cannot:

  • Assume that Open Access content is free of copyright restrictions (check the website or webpage for copyright permissions)

Still have questions? Contact us!

‘Public domain’ refers to original works (‘intellectual property’) for which the copyright has expired, been forfeited, or is inapplicable. Regardless of country of origin of a work, the Copyright Act protects an original work for a set period of time depending on the type of work and author(s).

You can:

  • Copy and use works in the public domain without limitation
  • Reproduce or alter a work in the public domain to create a new work in which you would hold copyright

You cannot:

  • Assume that an original work is in the public domain (you must verify it before proceeding)

Still have questions? Contact us!