Guides: Help: Databases, Citing, Plagiarism, Copyright, MS Word, and Other Library Resources: Academic Honesty & Copyright

video on the TEACH Act and copyright implications (useful for faculty)
resources that can help to educate faculty on copyright, fair use, and public domain.

Information contained in this research guide is not to be taken as legal advice - it is intended for educational purposes.

Copyright Basics & Fair Use

What is Copyright?
Learn about the basics of copyright from the U.S. Copyright Office's easy to read reference page.

Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States
The attached chart can guide users through the rules of U.S. copyright in order to determine public domain. (© 2004-2025 Peter B. Hirtle. Use of this chart is governed by the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.)
Fair Use Checklist
Created by Cornell University under a CC-BY license (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License) this checklist can help assess the use of a work for fair use status.
How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work
Created by the U.S. Copyright Office, this document provides methods for investigating the copyright status of a work. (Revised 1-2025)

Copyright TEACH Act
Video reviews the basics of copyright, factors to consider when determining Fair use, how works enter into the Public Domain, and the TEACH Act.