Moral rights and citing material

Creators of copyright material hold moral rights in the material they create even if they do not hold copyright.

Moral rights include the right:

  • To be acknowledged or attributed as the creator of the work.
  • Not to have their work falsely attributed, i.e. another person is acknowledged as the creator.
  • Not to have their work used in a derogatory or prejudicial manner.

This means that users must fully acknowledge any copyright material that they use. Attribution must be clear and reasonably prominent.

Moral rights last the same length of time as copyright. They are a personal right of the creator and cannot be transferred, although the creator can choose to waive them.

Staff should be acknowledged when they create material, even if the University owns copyright.

For information on citing and referencing different types of copyright material, please visit Re:cite, the Library’s guide to citing and referencing research, scholarly writing, educational works and student works.