Summary
INCOSE may receive copyright or an exclusive license to your specific publication. This enables us to publish, protect, and preserve the version of record. You keep authorship and moral rights. You keep your patents, trademarks, research data, and the freedom to build on your ideas.
Understanding Copyright vs. Intellectual Property
What is Intellectual Property (IP)?
Intellectual Property (IP) is a broad term covering several types of legal protections:
Copyright protects original creative works.
Patents protect inventions and processes.
Trademarks protect names, logos, and brands.
Trade secrets protect confidential business information.
What is Copyright?
Copyright protects the written expression of ideas in works like articles, papers, books, and software code. Copyright automatically exists from the moment you create a work—no registration is required.
- Economic rights are the right to reproduce, distribute, and adapt the work (these CAN be transferred or licensed).
- Moral rights are the right to be identified as the author and to object to harmful modifications (these typically CANNOT be transferred).
Important Distinction for INCOSE Authors
When you enter a publishing agreement with INCOSE, you are only transferring or licensing the copyright to your specific work, nothing else.
- You keep your patents, trademarks, research data, methodologies, ideas, and the ability to write about the same topic in the future.
- INCOSE receives the right to publish, distribute, and maintain your specific work as part of the permanent scholarly record. This is some text beneath the example feature.
Conference Proceedings
For papers published in INCOSE conference proceedings (International Symposium, regional conferences, workshops), authors typically retain copyright and grant INCOSE a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute the work.
INCOSE’s License
- Right to publish your paper in the conference proceedings
- Right to distribute the proceedings to conference attendees and members
- Right to include your paper in the INCOSE digital library and archives
- Right to make the proceedings available through our website and affiliated platforms
What You Retain
With conference proceedings, you retain significant flexibility:
Copyright Ownership:
- You retain full copyright ownership of your work
- You control how others may use and reuse your paper
All Previous Rights, PLUS:
- Post Anywhere — You may post your paper on any website, repository, or platform at any time
- Create Derivatives — You may create modified or extended versions of the work
- Commercial Use — You retain the right to use the work commercially
Notes and Rationale
While INCOSE’s non-exclusive license permits you to publish elsewhere, you should not submit the same work simultaneously to multiple venues, and you must disclose prior conference publication to journal editors.
INCOSE’s Expectation:
- Proper attribution to the INCOSE conference proceedings when the work is shared or republished
- Notification if you publish a substantially similar or derivative work elsewhere (courtesy, not required)
Why the Difference?
Conference proceedings capture work-in-progress and facilitate rapid knowledge sharing within the community. The non-exclusive license allows maximum flexibility for authors to develop their work further while allowing INCOSE to create a valuable conference record.
Technical Publications (Journals, Books, Technical Standards)
For technical publications produced by, or within, INCOSE including journal articles, book chapters, technical reports, and standards documents, authors typically transfer copyright to INCOSE.
INCOSE’s Responsibilities
- Publish and professionally distribute your work to the systems engineering community
- Maintain the authoritative “version of record” in perpetuity
- Protect your work from plagiarism, unauthorized use, and misrepresentation
- Ensure proper citation and discoverability through indexing services
- Handle third-party permission requests on your behalf
- Provide long-term preservation and access
What You Retain
Even when transferring copyright, you retain extensive rights:
Moral Rights (Permanent & Non-Transferable):
- Right of Paternity: You are always credited as the author
- Right of Integrity: Your work cannot be distorted or modified in ways that harm your professional reputation
Intellectual Property Rights:
- All patent rights to inventions described in the work
- All trademark rights
- All rights to your underlying research data, methodologies, and results
- All rights to ideas, concepts, and knowledge contained in the work
Common Reuse & Sharing
- Teaching & Presentations: Use your work in lectures, courses, and conference presentations
- Internal Sharing: Share with colleagues, students, and research collaborators for educational and professional purposes
- Institutional Posting: Post the accepted manuscript version to your institutional or subject repository (may include embargo period)
- Personal Websites: Post the accepted manuscript version on your personal or departmental website (may include embargo period)
- Thesis/Dissertation: Include the article in your thesis or dissertation
- Future Works: Reuse your own text, figures, and data in future publications, books, or chapters (with proper citation to the original INCOSE publication)
- Preprints: Share preprint versions publicly on any website or repository at any time
Note on Accepted Manuscripts: The “accepted manuscript” is your final peer-reviewed version before INCOSE’s formatting and typesetting. There may be a brief embargo period (typically 6–12 months) before posting publicly. Check your specific agreement or contact us for details.
Restrictions That Apply
- INCOSE becomes the exclusive publisher of this specific work
- Third parties must request permission from INCOSE to republish or extensively quote your work
- Commercial reuse typically requires INCOSE permission and may involve licensing fees
Bottom Line: You remain the author and expert. INCOSE becomes the professional publisher and rights manager for this specific publication, allowing you to focus on your research while we handle publishing, protection, and preservation.
Summary: What Rights You Always Keep
Rights That Can Never Be Transferred
Your authorship credit — Your name remains on the work forever
Moral rights of integrity — Protection against harmful modifications
Patent rights — Any inventions remain yours
Trademark rights — Any marks or brands remain yours
Research data ownership — Your underlying data remains yours
Common Uses Always Permitted
- Present your work at conferences, seminars, and courses
- Share with students, colleagues, and collaborators for educational purposes
- Include in your thesis, dissertation, or cumulative CV
- Reuse your own material in future publications (with citation)
- Use for non-commercial professional purposes
What INCOSE Manages
- Maintaining the authoritative published version
- Protecting against plagiarism and misuse
- Managing third-party permission requests
- Ensuring long-term preservation and access
- Handling copyright compliance and infringement issues
Additional Resources
About Scholarly Publishing
Permissions Use
These are the official guidelines for INCOSE product use.
If you have questions about translations of the Systems Engineering Handbook v5, please email: [email protected]
Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
Does signing the agreement mean I lose my intellectual property?
No. The transfer or license applies to the copyrighted paper. Your patents, trademarks, data, and ideas remain yours.
Will I still be credited as the author?
Always. Your moral right to be identified as the author can never be transferred and is protected in perpetuity.
Has anything changed? I’ve been publishing with INCOSE for years.
No. The transfer or license applies to the copyrighted paper. Your patents, trademarks, data, and ideas remain yours.
Why does INCOSE need copyright or a license?
This enables us to act as the professional publisher—distributing your work widely, protecting it from misuse, maintaining it permanently, and handling the administrative burden of managing rights and permissions on your behalf.
About Using Your Own Work
Can I email a copy of my paper to a colleague who requests it?
Yes. You may share your work with colleagues and students for professional and educational purposes.
Can I post my paper on my university website or in my institutional repository?
Yes. For technical publications, you may post the accepted manuscript version (typically after any embargo period). For conference proceedings, you may post the final version immediately.
Can I use figures or sections from my INCOSE paper in another publication?
Yes. You may reuse your own material in future works. Simply cite the original INCOSE publication properly.
Can I present my INCOSE paper at a conference or in my classroom?
Absolutely. You may present your work in any educational or professional setting.
Can I include my INCOSE publication in my PhD thesis?
Yes. This is standard academic practice and is always permitted.
Can I write another paper on the same topic?
Yes. You own the research and ideas. INCOSE only has rights to the specific written expression in the published paper.
About Future Publications
If I publish in INCOSE conference proceedings, can I submit to a journal?
You may submit a substantially expanded and revised version to a journal, but you must disclose the prior conference publication to the journal editor during submission.
Is submitting my conference paper to a journal considered plagiarism?
Submitting the identical paper would be self-plagiarism/duplicate publication, which violates scholarly ethics. Always cite your conference paper in the new submission and be transparent with editors.
About Third-Party Use
What if someone wants to republish or translate my INCOSE paper?
For technical publications, third parties should contact INCOSE for permission. For conference proceedings where you retained copyright, they should contact you directly (though we appreciate being informed).
Can a commercial company use my work?
For technical publications, commercial use typically requires permission from INCOSE, which we handle on your behalf. For conference proceedings, you control these rights.
How does INCOSE protect my work from plagiarism?
We actively monitor for unauthorized use, maintain the authoritative version of record, and take action against infringement when necessary.
Technical Questions
What’s the difference between “accepted manuscript” and “version of record”?
The accepted manuscript is your final peer-reviewed text before INCOSE’s professional formatting. The version of record is the final published version with INCOSE’s layout, branding, and formatting.
What is an embargo period?
Some agreements may require waiting a brief period (e.g., 6–12 months) before posting your accepted manuscript publicly. This allows the published version to be the primary version available initially. Check your specific agreement for details.
Do I need to register copyright?
No. Copyright exists automatically when you create an original work. Registration is not required in most countries, though it may provide additional legal benefits in some jurisdictions.
AI Guidelines
For proceedings
Please disclose any AI tool usage related to your submission. Include a brief statement in your acknowledgments or footnote covering (1) which AI tools you used (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Grammarly), (2) how you used them, and (3) your level of involvement and oversight. Common categories of AI use include: conceptual (idea generation, hypothesis development, research design), analysis (literature review, statistical support, data analysis, coding assistance), content generation (drafting sections, creating abstracts, methodology development), editorial (grammar correction, formatting, citation management, translation). Note: For content generation and conceptual use, provide additional detail about your intellectual contributions. Example 1: “ChatGPT (GPT-4) assisted with grammar correction and code generation for simulations. All analysis and conclusions are original author work.” Example2: “Claude Sonnet 4 helped summarize literature and draft methodology sections, which were extensively revised by authors. Grammarly provided editing support. Research design and interpretation are entirely author-generated. Submissions that do not comply with this guidance maybe rejected before review.
For technical products
The Author must clearly indicate if any artificial intelligence (AI) tools, such as ChatGPT or other large language models, were used in the preparation or creation of the Work. This disclosure should include which model was used, for what purpose, and which text is affected. This disclosure should made to INCOSE and indicated within the Work. The Author represents that they have verified any portion of the work created using AI. The Author further acknowledges that the representation and warranties made in this Agreement apply to The Author and recognizes and acknowledges the potential for plagiarism and copyright infringement with any use of AI. The Author represents and agrees that the Author remains fully responsible for the content of their Work, including any material drafted with the assistance of AI, and thus remains liable for any breach of warranties in this Agreement. The Author may not list AI or AI-assisted technologies as an author or co-author, nor cite to AI as an author or reference source.