American Historical Association

AHA Copyright Policy for Perspectives on History

Authors have to sign and return a copyright agreement (see below) before their articles can be published. This letter of agreement will normally be sent to authors when their submissions are accepted by the editorial board, but all submissions are considered on the assumption that authors will agree to abide by the terms of the agreement if their submissions are accepted. Letters to the Editor and other such brief submissions are also governed by the same terms even though no specific agreeement is entered into between the AHA and the authors in such cases.

By transferring rights in the article to the AHA, authors will receive better protection of their intellectual property rights. The Association assumes responsibility for discouraging copyright infringement by registering Perspectives on History (and all other AHA publications) with the U.S. Copyright Office, located in the Library of Congress. The AHA may also be able to secure wider dissemination of the article. The AHA continually works to develop additional ways of dissemination of information by, about, and for the historical profession. By controlling copyright, the AHA gains the ability to republish a published text with other works of interest to diverse constituencies, thus attracting a broader audience for authors' scholarship while enabling the Association to serve a wider range of historians. Some of these forms of dissemination—such as electronic publication on the internet (via the AHA home page) and other instances—are developed and administered by the Association. Other systems are made possible by subcontracts with such vendor as the Copyright Clearance Center or EBSCO.

Although authors will be transferring rights to the AHA, they will retain the right to use their own material easily as stipulated in paragraph 3 of the letter of agreement. They may photocopy the article for use in their own classes and for research purposes; republish the article (or a revised version of the article) in books they may write, or in anthologies they may prepare, giving the first publication credit to the Association without contacting the AHA first. Such uses must, however, be nonexclusive only, and the AHA should be notified as a courtesy.

Authors whose submissions are published will receive one free copy of the issue of Perspectives on History that contains the article.

Sample Copyright Agreement for Perspectives on History

I, AUTHOR NAME, the (co)author of “ARTICLE TITLE” (the “Article”) accepted for publication in Perspectives on History (the “Newsmagazine”), the Newsmagazine of the American Historical Association (the “AHA”), agree to work with the Newsmagazine in good faith to resolve any differences regarding changes to the Article proposed by the Newsmagazine or me. I understand that the Newsmagazine generally resolves all issues of style and spelling in accordance with the 16th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style and the 11th edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

I represent and warrant that I have the legal right to offer the Article for publication in the Newsmagazine. Should the Article contain material that requires written permission for inclusion, such permission shall be obtained at my expense, in a form suitable to the AHA, and submitted before publication of the Article. I shall defend, indemnify, and hold the Newsmagazine, the AHA, and any third party licensees, harmless against any loss, liability, damage, cost, or expense (including attorney's fees) arising in connection with any suit, proceeding, claim, or demand or the settlement thereof based on a breach of any of the above representations and warranties. These representations and warranties shall survive the termination of this agreement.

I hereby transfer and assign to the AHA all right, title, and interest, including all copyright, in and to the Article in the United States and throughout the world (including the rights to publish the article in print as well as any other medium). In return, the AHA (which registers each issue of the Newsmagazine in the AHA's name with the U.S. Copyright Office) grants me, once the Article has appeared in the Newsmagazine, a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to: (a) reproduce, distribute, perform, and display (and authorize others to do the same) the Article alone or as a part of a book, anthology, or other collection of essays (with the exception of another academic or scholarly journal) in print or electronic media; (b) make or authorize others to make photocopies or similar reproductions of the Article for personal, classroom or nonprofit educational use; and (c) distribute my own offprints.

The Newsmagazine permits educational institutions to reproduce and distribute copies of articles free of charge for teaching and research purposes. For profit publishers must pay a fee, which will be split with me. All reproductions permitted by the Newsmagazine must reproduce the Article in full, along with all endnotes, and other supporting material (excluding illustrations), except with my written permission. This agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the District of Columbia, without regard to its conflict of laws, principles, or rules. This agreement constitutes the entire understanding of the parties and may only be modified or terminated in writing. If any part of this Agreement is declared invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue to apply.

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Last Updated: May 9, 2011