Open-access licences explained: what CC BY really means
Creative Commons licences decide how others can reuse your published work. A plain guide to the main options and how to choose.
When an article is published open access, a licence sets out what readers may do with it. Most open-access journals use Creative Commons licences. They are short, standard and recognised worldwide, but the differences between them matter.
The building blocks
Every Creative Commons licence requires attribution, shown as BY: anyone who reuses the work must credit the authors. Other elements can be added:
- NC (non-commercial): reuse is allowed only for non-commercial purposes.
- ND (no derivatives): the work may be shared but not changed, translated or adapted.
- SA (share-alike): adaptations must be shared under the same licence.
The licences you will meet most often
- CC BY: anyone may share and adapt the work for any purpose, with credit. This is the most open option and the one many research funders require.
- CC BY-NC: as CC BY, but not for commercial use.
- CC BY-NC-ND: the work may be shared unchanged, for non-commercial purposes only.
- CC0: not a licence but a dedication to the public domain, often used for datasets.
Why CC BY is common in medicine
CC BY allows text and data mining, translation into other languages and inclusion in teaching materials and guidelines without asking permission each time. For clinical evidence, that kind of reuse is often exactly what authors want.
Questions to ask before you sign
- Does my funder or institution require a specific licence?
- Do I keep copyright, or am I transferring it to the publisher?
- Does the article include figures from other sources that need permission under this licence?
Our copyright and licensing service explains your options in plain language before you sign. See author support.