Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

What are my rights as the author?

When you publish a scholarly article, you are typically asked to sign a publishing agreement. This agreement determines who holds the copyright, how your work can be shared or reused, and what rights (if any) you retain.

Publishing contracts determine:

  • Reusing your work in teaching, future publications, or course materials
  • Sharing a copy on your personal website, author profiles, or in an institutional repository
  • Compling with public access or funder mandates (e.g., NIH, NSF, private foundations)

Always read the agreement carefully. Just because a journal is reputable doesn’t mean it automatically supports author-friendly practices.

SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) has resources to help you negotiate and know your rights

SPARC -- Author Rights Brochure

SPARC has put together a guide for authors on how to negotiate a contract and even provided language to use when communicating with Publishers.