Author Agreements

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ answers some commonly asked questions about the agreement authors sign to publish with PLA. PLA Publications is an independent entity and is not affiliated with ALA Publications. The information in this FAQ applies only to publications of PLA.

Journal Authors

What rights does PLA have under the author agreement(s)?

There are two forms:

Under the license agreement (fillable form PDF, 1 pg.), the author retains copyright, licensing specific rights to ALA. The author is responsible for administering the copyright; requests regarding the work received by ALA will be forwarded to the author.

Under the assignment agreement (fillable form PDF, 1 pg.), the author assigns copyright to ALA, while still retaining specific rights for further use of the material. Any request for reprinting or other copyright questions will be handled by ALA Publishing's rights and permissions office.

Authors are free to sign whichever agreement best suits their purposes.

What rights do I have?

After your article is published by PLA, you are free to place a copy on your personal website, or anywhere else you’d like. You also have the right to republish the work in print with another publisher as long as you cite the original PLA publication. We ask that you include the original publication information on your website as well.

Does this mean I retain copyright?

You retain copyright of your work if you choose the licensing agreement. If you choose the assignment agreement, then you assign copyright to ALA.

What about Creative Commons?

We didn’t want to require our authors to publish their works using a Creative Commons license, but you are welcome to attach the CC license of your choosing to your work after it is published by PLA. Visit the Creative Commons website (http://creativecommons.org/) to learn more about their licensing options.

Book Editors and Authors

As the editor of a monographic work, what agreement do I sign?

Book editors and author are sent a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), or a Work Made for Hire Agreement, outlining expectations and rights. PLA retains copyright of its non-serial (monographic) publications.