Big Ten Academic Alliance Author's Addendum Brochure

Mark J.T. Smith is the Birck Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dean of the Graduate School at Purdue University. The author of numerous publications in the area of speech and image processing, filter banks and wavelets, Dean Smith is a passionate advocate for the use of the CIC author’s addendum. He has taken extra measures to inform faculty and student researchers of why and how to use the document when working with publishers.

Q: Why have you used the CIC author’s addendum?

A: The simplicity of it. It’s a very simple way to be compliant with the copyright rules while at the same time providing freedom to use one's own descriptive text in other outlets.

Q: How does the author’s addendum help faculty?

A: In order for a faculty member to be productive he or she needs to be able to present materials and share papers with students and colleagues. No one wants to be writing to ask the publisher permission to use his or her own work.

"The CIC author’s addendum is a great way to protect the rights of the academy."

Q: Why should students be aware of these rights?

A: Because it may affect their academic career.The past practice has been, in many places, for the graduate student and advisor to publish work before the thesis document is completed. Students justifiably would like to use in their thesis documents some of the text, figures, and plots they presented in these publications. Having to rewrite or regenerate such materials because they have given away their rights to use their own work is inefficient and can increase time to degree.

Q: Do you see the use of the author’s addendum rising?

A: I certainly hope so. Everyone in the academy should be using the CIC author’s addendum in my opinion. It’s easy to use and just involves affixing a signed copy of the addendum to the publisher’s copyright form.