What you need to know and what to do

In short

If you are submitting a manuscript to Emerald, then you need to clear permission for anything that you have not created. This is a legal requirement. However, Emerald authors can benefit from the reciprocal free exchange of material from STM members. Please see below for full details.

Useful files/links

• Permissions request form (Word): details the permissions that need clearing.
• Permissions checklist (PDF): check you have everything in place before submitting your manuscript.
• STM Permissions Guidelines and Signatories: see which publishers are current STM members and what permissions are granted.

STM membership

Emerald is a member of the STM Association. This means that there are certain amounts of content published by other STM members that can be republished free of charge. These allowances include:

• use of up to 3 figures (including tables) from a journal article or book chapter, but:
  • not more than 5 figures from a whole book or journal issue/edition;
  • not more than 6 figures from an annual journal volume; and
  • not more than 3 figures from works published by a single publisher for an article, and not more than 3 figures from works published by a single publisher for a book chapter (and in total not more than 30 figures from a single publisher for re-publication in a book, including a multi-volume book with different authors per chapter).
• Use of single text extracts of less than 400 words from a journal article or book chapter, but:
  • not more than a total of 800 words from a whole book or journal issue/edition.

Things to be aware of (see STM Permissions Guidelines and Signatories for full details in all cases):

• Check that the copyright for the content you wish to reuse is held by an STM publisher and not a third party. If it is held by a third party you will need to contact them directly to clear permission.
• Check that the amount you wish to reuse falls within the above allowances. If it is more than the above, there is likely to be a charge for republication.
• There are some exceptions as to what is included within the STM guidelines. Please check to see what publishers have excluded from the STM agreement. Permission clearance will be needed for these exceptions.
• Some STM publishers have "opted out" of receiving permissions requests if the amount falls within the STM allowances. Other STM publishers still request permission to be submitted even though there will be no charge. Please ensure that you clear permission for publishers that have not opted out. You will receive an express service.

Permission from a non-STM signatory

If you have included any material from a non-STM signatory member then permission needs to be cleared from the copyright holder directly before the material can be republished.

When you have cleared permission with the copyright holder, ensure that you include written or e-mailed confirmation (e.g. the permissions request form) when you submit your manuscript. Examples of a non-STM signatory include other publishers, websites, some government websites/documents, etc.

Please note that the copyright holder may be someone other than the author/publisher. If copyright is not held by the author or publisher either party may be able to direct you otherwise.

Why does permission need to be cleared?

If you are republishing anything within your Emerald article or chapter that you or your co-authors have not created then permission to reuse this content needs to be cleared. This is a legal requirement. If permission is not cleared then both Emerald and authors expose themselves to potential legal risks.

Please ensure that you obtain written permission from the copyright holder before submitting your article. Failure to do so may lead to lengthy delays in production. Please note that if permission has not been cleared then Emerald will not be able to reproduce that specific content.

In conclusion

Where you are unsure whether to clear permission or not, always seek to obtain permission from the copyright holder. Generally they will be pleased to grant permission and appreciate the courtesy of being asked.

Check the STM members list, and review which publishers have opted out of receiving permissions requests.

The Permissions request form is available to help you clear permissions (although permission by e-mail/letter/fax is also acceptable). The Permissions checklist is to help you ensure that you have included all relevant permissions documents before submission.