Publishing Open Access
Selecting the CC BY license
Choosing the right Creative Commons (CC) license is crucial when publishing your research as Open Access. The recommended license is CC BY. This is the "freest" CC license and the best choice for maximizing the visibility and impact of your work. It only requires attribution, which is already standard practice in academia through citation.
Licenses with the NC (CC BY-NC) addition to exclude commercial use and the ND (CC BY-NC-ND) attribute to exclude modifications are strongly discouraged. They contradict the principle of Open Access and often have significant drawbacks. With these licenses, the author transfers control and the financial benefits of commercial use to the publisher.
The advantages of CC BY license
When publishing Open Access, you should always choose the CC BY license because it ensures that your research will have the greatest visibility, reach, and impact. It complies with global OA standards and is the preferred license of many research funders and organizations. It also protects your work from unwanted exclusive commercial exploitation. In addition, the CC BY license provides legal certainty by unambiguously defining use and distribution.