Definition and Meaning of the SMARTech Repository Agreement
The SMARTech Repository Agreement at the Georgia Institute of Technology is a legal document that outlines the terms under which student theses and dissertations are submitted to the university’s digital repository, SMARTech. This agreement stipulates that Georgia Tech (GT) and the Georgia Tech Research Corporation (GTRC) are granted non-exclusive rights to preserve, reproduce, modify, and distribute the submitted academic works for non-commercial, academic purposes. The original authors retain copyright, ensuring they can share and disseminate their work independently from the repository.
How to Use the SMARTech Repository Agreement
To effectively utilize the SMARTech Repository Agreement, authors should familiarize themselves with its requirements for submission. The document mandates that all submitted materials must be original, and any third-party materials included must have secured permissions. This guarantee of originality and proper permissions is crucial for maintaining the integrity of submissions and protecting against potential legal claims. Additionally, authors must agree to indemnify GT and GTRC for any claims related to copyright infringement that might arise from their submissions.
Steps to Complete the SMARTech Repository Agreement
- Review the Agreement: Before submitting your work, read through the entire SMARTech Repository Agreement to ensure understanding and compliance with all terms.
- Prepare Your Work: Verify that your thesis or dissertation is original and that you have obtained necessary permissions for any included third-party materials.
- Sign the Agreement: Indicate your acceptance of the terms by signing the agreement, confirming that you grant GT and GTRC the specified rights.
- Submit Your Work: Upload your thesis or dissertation to the SMARTech system as directed by Georgia Tech’s submission guidelines.
Practical Examples for Better Understanding
- An engineering student submitting their dissertation must ensure all proprietary graphs or images from other sources are accompanied by permissions to avoid infringement issues.
- A computer science student might need to review their code snippets embedded in the thesis for originality and have these validated as original or covered under permissible licenses.
Why You Should Use the SMARTech Repository Agreement
The SMARTech Repository Agreement is essential for ensuring your scholarly work reaches a broad academic audience while safeguarding your rights as an author. Submitting through this agreement not only facilitates preservation and dissemination within the academic community but also helps in accrediting your work as part of Georgia Tech’s scholarly output. The repository functions as a permanent digital archive, providing ongoing access to your research.
Legal Use Considerations for the SMARTech Repository Agreement
The agreement ensures that GT and the GTRC can legally host and share your academic work within the repository, aligned with academic purposes. Authors continue to own the copyright, maintaining the freedom to publish their work elsewhere without restrictions. The indemnity clause protects the institute and repository from legal challenges arising from the authors' submissions.
Key Elements of the SMARTech Repository Agreement
- Non-Exclusive Rights: Grants Georgia Tech and its affiliates the ability to store and distribute academic work without exclusive claim over the material.
- Author Retention of Copyright: Ensures authors can further disseminate their work.
- Originality Requirement: Affirms the submitted work is original and free from unpermitted third-party content.
- Indemnification Clause: Authors agree to bear responsibility for any legal issues arising from their submission.
Important Terms Related to the SMARTech Repository Agreement
- Non-Exclusive Rights: Rights that allow multiple parties to use the work simultaneously without breaching the agreement.
- Indemnification: A security or protection against a loss or other financial burden typically provided to the university in case of legal challenges related to copyright infringement.
- Preservation and Reproduction: Legal terms in the agreement specifying the repository's ability to maintain and copy works for academic use.
Who Typically Uses the SMARTech Repository Agreement
The primary users of the SMARTech Repository Agreement are graduate students at Georgia Institute of Technology who are required to submit their theses or dissertations for degree completion. This agreement is also utilized by university faculty who oversee these submissions and require legally binding documentation that supports the institutional and academic policies associated with scholarly publications.
Examples of Using the SMARTech Repository Agreement
- Case Study in Mechanical Engineering: A graduate student submits their groundbreaking research on sustainable energy systems, ensuring the inclusion of proprietary data under the approval of the original data owners.
- Case Study in Digital Media: A Master's thesis exploring multimedia uses the SMARTech Repository to guarantee the thesis is accessible to future researchers and the public, while retaining the author's ability to publish in industry journals.
