Compliance with legal requirements is part of good scientific practiceGood scientific practice (GSP) represents a standardized code of conduct established in the guidelines of the German Research Foundation (DFG). These guidelines emphasize the ethical obligation of every researcher to act responsibly, honestly, and respectfully, also in order to strengthen public trust in research and science. They serve as a framework for guiding scientific work processes. Read More. As stated in Guideline 10:

„Researchers should, where possible and reasonable, establish documented agreements regarding usage rights at the earliest possible stage of the research project. … The usage rights belong, in particular, to the researcher who collects the data.“

(GWP, 2022, p. 17)

To grant usage rights, it must be unequivocally clear that the work is protected by copyright. Since this can often only be determined on a case-by-case basis, it is important to address this issue early on and clarify whether there are any co-authorships. It is also in the researchers‘ own interest to have an overview of the topic in order to assert their own copyrights – especially for works created in project teams (co-authorship).

Furthermore, legally secure data are essential for the publication and archiving of research data, as appropriate licensing is a fundamental prerequisite for reuse by third parties. This is especially true when copyrighted works of third parties, such as images, are incorporated into one’s own work.

The use of open licenses, such as Creative Commons licenses (CC licenses), enables simple, standardized, and legally secure licensing agreements, facilitating low-threshold, free licensing and reuse. Moreover, such licenses do not involve the exclusive transfer of exploitation rights, allowing researchers to continue working with and using their research data. Open licenses promote the sharing of research data and thereby increase the visibility of researchers and their work.