The Project for Information Access and Connectivity

Table Four

Copyright/Borrowing/Reproduction Issues at Feasibility Study Universities

University
Comments

Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa University does not have a copyright policy, but is eager to establish one. Prof. Theodros Solomon, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, would like the university to initiate an overall policy on research and research results, into which copyright/IPR would be incorporated. This policy would set out the rights of the various stakeholders-the university, researchers and students, and the funders of the research. He has been doing Internet searches to ascertain policies at major universities in the United States, such as Stanford, and has downloaded parts of the Stanford Research Policy Handbook.

As it stands now, readers are allowed to take notes, but not to borrow theses or photocopy them.

There is considerable concern about plagiarism, particularly in the social sciences, where theses typically remain unpublished. (The exception is in social anthropology, where NORAD has been funding a monograph series based on selected theses.) In the sciences, good theses frequently result in a journal article, usually coauthored by the student and the advisor. But even in the sciences, lecturers worry about those theses that are almost publishable, but not quite there. Should readers have the right to borrow or photocopy them?

Ain Shams

Regulations promulgated in 1967 gave public universities the right to provide or sell photocopies of theses and dissertations. Only up to 10 percent of a thesis may be copied by an individual, but the entire document will be made available to bona fide scholars and institutions.

American University in Cairo

At the American University in Cairo (AUC), students complete and sign a declaration form, which includes the following three options:

The thesis may be consulted in the AUC library and photocopies.

The thesis may be consulted in the library, but not photocopied for a period of two years.

The thesis may not be consulted or photocopied without written permission from the student or the appropriate head of department for a period of three years.

The restrictions in options two and three may be renewed, but only with approval of AUC administrators. Lisbeth Levey was also told that option three may be removed in the future.

Cape Coast

The university has no policy on copyright, and theses/dissertations do not bear any copyright statement. The Dean of Graduate Studies recommends that AAU guide member universities on what should be done in this respect.

Cheikh Anta Diop

The theses/dissertations do not carry a copyright statement. Permission to copy and/or quote is guided by general copyright laws applicable in Senegal.

The university thinks it important for the university to revisit this and would be interested in having the AAU provide guidelines in this area.

Dar es Salaam

Every thesis and dissertation has a copyright statement which gives the university the authority to reproduce the document on behalf of the author.

Eduardo Mondlane

Eduardo Mondlane University does not have a copyright policy.

Egerton

Egerton University is one of the few universities with an explicit copyright policy. There is a statement in every thesis held in the library giving ownership rights to the author and to the university. University policy does not permit users to borrow theses.

Ghana

The University has no policy on copyright and theses/dissertations do not bear a copyright statement. The Dean of Graduate Studies recommends that AAU guide member universities on what can be done concerning copyright.

Ibadan

Theses and dissertations do not bear a copyright statement, but the library, as a policy, will only photocopy up to 15 pages from a chapter. For chapters with less than 15 pages, the library will photocopy a maximum of 3 pages. These may not be borrowed.

Kenyatta

The current practice is to keep theses and dissertations in the Africana section of the library. They can be read in the library, but cannot be borrowed. Only a very limited amount of photocopying is allowed. The librarian's response to photocopying requests is primarily guided by adherence to the Kenyan copyright laws.

Makerere

Makerere University does not have a written copyright policy,

Malawi

The University of Malawi does not have a copyright policy, but the practice is not to allow users to photocopy an entire thesis.

Nairobi

No information was provided on copyright.

Obafemi Awolowo

Some theses contain a copyright statement, as follows:

"I (name of author), hereby authorize the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library to copy my thesis, in whole or in part, in response to requests from individual researchers and organizations for the purpose of private study or research..."

Rhodes

Copyright of theses vests in the University. Rhodes University has the right to make copies of theses from time to time, for deposit in other universities or research libraries, and for purposes of research. The University may, for any reason, either at the request of the candidate or on its own initiative, waive its right.

Yaoundé I

The university does not have a copyright policy. Officials would appreciate receiving guidelines from the AAU on the creation and implementation of such a policy.

Zimbabwe

Theses/dissertations do not bear a copyright statement. Library staff and university officials would like to have an explicit policy on copyright.

University	Comments
Addis Ababa	Addis Ababa University does not have a copyright policy, but is eager to establish one. Prof. Theodros Solomon, Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, would like the university to initiate an overall policy on research and research results, into which copyright/IPR would be incorporated. This policy would set out the rights of the various stakeholders-the university, researchers and students, and the funders of the research. He has been doing Internet searches to ascertain policies at major universities in the United States, such as Stanford, and has downloaded parts of the Stanford Research Policy Handbook. As it stands now, readers are allowed to take notes, but not to borrow theses or photocopy them. There is considerable concern about plagiarism, particularly in the social sciences, where theses typically remain unpublished. (The exception is in social anthropology, where NORAD has been funding a monograph series based on selected theses.) In the sciences, good theses frequently result in a journal article, usually coauthored by the student and the advisor. But even in the sciences, lecturers worry about those theses that are almost publishable, but not quite there. Should readers have the right to borrow or photocopy them?
Ain Shams	Regulations promulgated in 1967 gave public universities the right to provide or sell photocopies of theses and dissertations. Only up to 10 percent of a thesis may be copied by an individual, but the entire document will be made available to bona fide scholars and institutions.
American University in Cairo	At the American University in Cairo (AUC), students complete and sign a declaration form, which includes the following three options: The thesis may be consulted in the AUC library and photocopies. The thesis may be consulted in the library, but not photocopied for a period of two years. The thesis may not be consulted or photocopied without written permission from the student or the appropriate head of department for a period of three years. The restrictions in options two and three may be renewed, but only with approval of AUC administrators. Lisbeth Levey was also told that option three may be removed in the future.
Cape Coast	The university has no policy on copyright, and theses/dissertations do not bear any copyright statement. The Dean of Graduate Studies recommends that AAU guide member universities on what should be done in this respect.
Cheikh Anta Diop	The theses/dissertations do not carry a copyright statement. Permission to copy and/or quote is guided by general copyright laws applicable in Senegal. The university thinks it important for the university to revisit this and would be interested in having the AAU provide guidelines in this area.
Dar es Salaam	Every thesis and dissertation has a copyright statement which gives the university the authority to reproduce the document on behalf of the author.
Eduardo Mondlane	Eduardo Mondlane University does not have a copyright policy.
Egerton	Egerton University is one of the few universities with an explicit copyright policy. There is a statement in every thesis held in the library giving ownership rights to the author and to the university. University policy does not permit users to borrow theses.
Ghana	The University has no policy on copyright and theses/dissertations do not bear a copyright statement. The Dean of Graduate Studies recommends that AAU guide member universities on what can be done concerning copyright.
Ibadan	Theses and dissertations do not bear a copyright statement, but the library, as a policy, will only photocopy up to 15 pages from a chapter. For chapters with less than 15 pages, the library will photocopy a maximum of 3 pages. These may not be borrowed.
Kenyatta	The current practice is to keep theses and dissertations in the Africana section of the library. They can be read in the library, but cannot be borrowed. Only a very limited amount of photocopying is allowed. The librarian's response to photocopying requests is primarily guided by adherence to the Kenyan copyright laws.
Makerere	Makerere University does not have a written copyright policy,
Malawi	The University of Malawi does not have a copyright policy, but the practice is not to allow users to photocopy an entire thesis.
Nairobi	No information was provided on copyright.
Obafemi Awolowo	Some theses contain a copyright statement, as follows: "I (name of author), hereby authorize the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library to copy my thesis, in whole or in part, in response to requests from individual researchers and organizations for the purpose of private study or research..."
Rhodes	Copyright of theses vests in the University. Rhodes University has the right to make copies of theses from time to time, for deposit in other universities or research libraries, and for purposes of research. The University may, for any reason, either at the request of the candidate or on its own initiative, waive its right.
Yaoundé I	The university does not have a copyright policy. Officials would appreciate receiving guidelines from the AAU on the creation and implementation of such a policy.
Zimbabwe	Theses/dissertations do not bear a copyright statement. Library staff and university officials would like to have an explicit policy on copyright.