Information about Copyright that Every (SPUR) Author and Reader Should Know

Because this issue highlights the responsible and ethical conduct of undergraduate research, I want to discuss a topic that is often overlooked and not well understood: copyright. Copyright is an essential form of intellectual property that protects the legal rights of creators of copyrightable works and governs those who use these works. Therefore, I will briefly outline the key aspects of copyright that prospective SPUR authors should consider before submitting their research for publication in SPUR or other journals. SPUR readers should be aware of these aspects before reusing any published works without permission.