University Library

Interesting facts for authors: Which Creative Commons license am I supposed to choose?

If possible, select the CC-BY license when submitting your article, as it is in line with the Berlin Open Access Declaration, the Budapest Open Access Initiative and the FAIR principles. Research funders such as the DFG also recommend the use of open licenses in science.

The selection of non commercial licences („NC“), e.g. CC-BY-NC, is not recommended because they are considered to be too restrictive. The free reuse of publications might be limited. The boundary between commercial and non-commercial is often very blurred. For this reason, the NC licenses usually do not fulfill the desired purpose.

DEAL authors can find information on licensing here. Please also pay attention to our website on Creative Commons licenses.

German Research Foundation (DFG)

Appeal for the use of open licenses in science (only in German)

Further reading:

Klimpel, P. (2013). Free knowledge thanks to creative commons licenses: Why a non-commercial clause often won't serve your needs

Kreutzer, T. (2014). Open content - a practical guide to using creative commons licences. Bonn, Köln, Berlin: German Commission for UNESCO; North Rhine-Westphalian Library Service Centre (hbz); Wikimedia Deutschland - Gesellschaft fur Förderung Freien Wissens e.V.