Copying for Research & Private Study

You may make a single copy of copyright material for personal use for private study or non-commercial research.  The amount which may be copied is not specified but is usually taken to mean -

• One chapter or up to 5% of a book, whichever is greater
• One article from a journal issue or set of conference proceedings
• One short story or poem of up to 10 pages from an anthology
• One case from a law report.

The medium used for copying – for example photocopier, scanner, memory stick or computer disk – is not specified in the legislation.

If you make an electronic copy DO NOT

• Pass it on to others
• Put it on a shared network drive or web server for others to access
• Alter the work in any way
• Keep multiple copies e.g. a print and an electronic version or multiple electronic versions in different places.

Please note that copying carried out for a commercial purpose requires prior permission from the copyright owner or payment of a copyright fee: ask at the Information Desk for further details.