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Open Educational Resources

A Staff Guide

License and share

The majority of OER are licensed and reused under Creative Commons licences (CC licences). The application of these licences is a standardised way for an author to grant students, educators and the public permission to use creative work under copyright law.

From the reuser's perspective, the presence of a Creative Commons licence on a copyrighted work answers the question What can I do with this work?

There is a suite of CC licences allowing various levels of use.

Check and understand the terms of each CC licence before:

  • Adopting an existing OER
  • Adapting an existing OER
  • Creating and publishing a new OER
Tip! Ensure that the original licence terms for an existing OER you select are compatible with your intended uses and (re)publication.

CC licence types

Attribution CC-BY

This licence allows users to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The licence allows for commercial use.

Attribution-Share Alike CC BY-SA

This licence allows users to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The licence allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms.

Attribution-Non Commercial CC BY-NC

This licence allows users to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike CC BY-NC-SA

This licence allows users to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format for non-commercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms.

Attribution-No Derivative works CC BY-ND

This licence allows users to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator. The licence allows for commercial use.

Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative Works CC BY-NC-ND

This licence allows users to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for non-commercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

Find out more about CC licences on the Creative Commons website.

Watch video: Creative Commons Licences Explained [5:33 mins]

Library help

Unsure if the content you want to use is openly licensed, public domain or requires permission? Or seeking help deciding how to license your own OER project? Contact our Library's OER team for guidance.