Second Publication Right

How to distribute an already published scientific article?

When publishing scientific publications, authors usually assign their copyrights to publishers. Currently, the possibilities for second publication by authors - whether with publishers or in repositories - are limited. Universities and research funding organisations have long been demanding that knowledge created and published with public funds should be freely accessible to all interested parties. Free access to scientific publications is the basic idea of Open Access. However, the implementation of this idea has proven difficult in Switzerland - not least because the relevant legal foundations are lacking.

Regulatory Framework is a project funded by Swissuniversities, in which a group of legal scholars, together with other experts, including CCdigitallaw, investigate whether and how Switzerland could provide for a (mandatory) second publication right for scientific publications and what regulatory challenges arise in connection with Open Access.

Read through the two chapters “3.4.2 Publishing contract” and “4.2.5 Second publication right” of the Knowledge Base to learn more about the second publication right and how it is currently anchored in Swiss law. Look through the available FAQs to find answers to frequently asked questions and explore available training resources (short explanatory video, webinar recording, etc). You can also find useful external resources on the topic.

FAQS

KNOWLEDGEBASE

Find more detailed information on various aspects regarding publishing contracts and the second publication right:

TRAINING

Webinar about Second publication right

This webinar was held the 31.08.2023 in English by Anna Picco-Schwendener and Suzanna Marazza. Here you can access the recording of the webinar and the presentation slides.

 

Training Catalogue

Inside the training catalogue you can find a vast selection of training topics and formats, among which also a course on "Publishing academic articles as Open Access and second publication right" (p. 15).

ADVISING

 

For any questions please do not hesitate to contact us either by e-mail (info@ccdigitallaw.ch) or phone  (+41 58 666 49 30);
USI students/employees can also book a tutoring session on plagiarism by writing an e-mail to info@ccdigitallaw.ch.

EXTERNAL RESOURCES

Swiss Websites / Resources

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International Websites

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