Special Collections & Archives

Brave Pubs (formerly BraveDOCKS) is the University of North Carolina’s institutional repository. An institutional repository is a free, open-access digital collection that captures and preserves an academic community’s research and scholarship output and makes it accessible around the globe. Brave Pubs archives theses, dissertations, working papers, journal articles, book chapters, learning objects, presentations, and more from UNCP’s students, faculty, and staff and houses them in one easy-to-access digital location.

Why should I participate?

• Preserve and access scholarly work
• Increase the visibility and prestige of UNCP
• Build intellectual credibility
• Provide access to scholarly works

Have more questions?

Please contact special.collections@uncp.edu for any questions about submitting materials or about the copyright of materials.

As an author, you hold copyright in your work from the moment your original expression is fixed in tangible form. “Copyright” refers to a bundle of copyrights, which are separate and distinct. You can retain, transfer, or license any one of these rights, or all of them.

For anything to be published, copyrights must be exercised, either by the copyright holder or by a licensee. As a bundle of rights, the “sticks” in the bundle can be transferred or licensed, exclusively, or non-exclusively, to one or more parties. Ideally, publishing should seek a balance between what rights are fairly transferred or licensed to the publisher, and what rights are fairly retained by the author.

Most publishers use one of two legal mechanisms for transferring copyright for, or otherwise licensing, your work for publication. Policies vary significantly by publisher, and rights typically are licensed back to the author according to the article version.

Publishers are most likely to allow you to self-archive and distribute a pre-print. However, because this version does not include revisions made as the result of any editorial or peer-review process, this version is least desirable for sharing. Publishers may also allow you to self-archive and distribute a post-print.  Because the content of the post-print is largely the same as the published version of your work, you are strongly encouraged to archive a post-print if permitted. Publishers are least likely to allow you to self-archive and distribute the published version of your work. However, you may be able to archive the published version of your work, and then distribute it after a specified embargo period.

The first step to protecting your copyright is to review copyright policies as part of vetting potential publishers or publications for your work. You are strongly encouraged to consult with the library if you have some concerns about self-archiving and copyright. During the vetting process, consider the following steps:

• Search the SHERPA/RoMEO database for the publisher or publication to see their current copyright and archiving policies.
• Obtain a copy of the publisher’s standard copyright transfer agreement or license to publish and use the library’s Copyright Transfer Agreement Checklist to review its conditions.
• Contact the publisher to see if they permit the use of a copyright addendum, alternative agreement language, or a license to publish.