For students

Students are permitted to make a copy of material for research and study provided the following copying limitations are observed:

• for printed text materials (i.e. a book), 10% of the number of pages or one chapter
  • e.g. for a 300 page book, up to 30 pages can be copied
• an article from a periodical publication (i.e. magazine or journal article)
• more than one article from a periodical publication if it is for the same research or course of study. 

There is no prescribed limitation for resources that are not text-based (e.g. images of photographs). If using more than the amounts outlined above or a resource that is not text-based the following should be considered:

• the purpose and character of the dealing 
• the nature of the work
• the possibility of obtaining the work within a reasonable time at an ordinary commercial price
• the effect of the dealing on the potential market for, or value of, the work
• the amount or substantiality of the part copied in relation to the whole.

For help with determining whether your copying of material meets this criteria email copyright@scu.edu.au. 

The library makes material available to staff and students for the purpose of research and study through a range of electronic resources. This material is subject to conditions set by the publisher. These conditions may be different to what is allowed under copyright law. For example, an ebook publisher might restrict students' ability to download a chapter of the book or only allow students to view the book online. Use of any material found through the library's electronic resources must comply with the restrictions set by the publisher. Email copyright@scu.edu.au with any questions about using material from the library's databases. 

When including portions of copyright work in an assignment or portfolio submitted through a closed university system (e.g. Turnitin), you will be covered by provisions of the Copyright Act. Correctly attribute and reference all copyright material included in the assignment or portfolio. 

These provisions of the Copyright Act do not apply if the assignment will be published e.g. on a public blog or in a journal article. Seek permission to include any copyright material before publishing the work. Permission must be in writing and the record of the permission must be retained. Alternatively, use Creative Commons (CC) or other openly licenced material that allows for reuse on public sites. Check the terms of the licence carefully before using the work.

The Copyright Act allows students to copy software purchased for personal use or that is provided by the university for the purposes of:

• backup
• research and study
• error correction
• interoperability
• security testing.

Copying software for any other purpose may be considered an infringement. 

University policy prohibits the use of illegally obtained or unlicenced software on university-owned equipment.

Unit materials including Powerpoint slides, unit notes, images, infographics, exams, and assignment task sheets created by teaching staff at SCU are protected by copyright. Uploading unit materials from Blackboard or reading material obtained from the library's electronic resources to academic file sharing services is a breach of copyright and the SCU Copyright Policy. It may also be considered non-academic misconduct which is dealt with under the Student Academic and Non-Academic Misconduct Rules. 

Plagiarism is defined in the university's Student Academic and Non-Academic Misconduct Rules as "fraudulently, deliberately or negligently using the work of others without due acknowledgement, and claiming it as one's own for academic or other purposes". A common example of plagiarism is forgetting to reference, or incorrectly referencing sources used in an assignment. Plagiarism is an offence and penalties can range from zero marks to expulsion from the university.

On the other hand, copyright may be infringed when the work of a creator is copied without permission or a licence. Copyright infringement is an offence under law and can carry serious penalties.

Plagiarism is an academic integrity issue, while copyright infringement is a legal issue. Both have serious consequences.