Exploring Copyright Compliance in Self-Archiving of Scholarly Works: Nigerian Librarians’ Perspectives

Abstract Purpose: Low understanding and comprehension of copyright compliance have been established in the body of literature. However, there is no study to indicate the understanding of Nigerian scholars on copyright compliance in self-archiving. This study explored copyright compliance of scholarly authors in self-archiving using the perspectives of Nigerian librarians. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopts a qualitative approach, using the semi-structured interviews to collect data from a total of twenty-one (21) participants. The interview sessions were carried out using the Zoom application, and the interview transcript was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Findings showed that most of the scholarly authors view self-archiving platforms as media for sharing and distributing scholarly works. Results showed that while manyof the librarians complied with copyright in self-archiving, there are some that still flout copyright agreement with publishers. Results show that majority of the librarians do not have knowledge of the copyright policies of the journal outlets where they published. Originality: This study is novel as it provides librarians’ knowledge and regard for copyright compliance in self-archiving of scholarly works. It presents the understanding of Nigerian librarians on the appropriate copyright practices in complying with the sharing of published academic works. Research limitations/Implications: The study will provide the necessary guide on how to address ever-present issue of copyright compliance between authors and publishers