Exploring Faculty Knowledge and Perceptions of Copyright at U.S. Dental Schools: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The aims of this pilot study were to investigate current copyright training and support provided to faculty at North American dental schools and to examine faculty members' knowledge and attitudes related to specific copyright issues. In 2015, a survey with questions about faculty members' comfort about their own and their colleagues' knowledge and application of various copyright issues was designed and distributed. True/false questions were asked to determine the extent of knowledge about copyright. Participants were given eight scenarios depicting examples of behavior related to copyright issues and asked to indicate whether the behavior in the scenario was ethical or unethical and compliant with or infringing upon copyright. A total of 104 participants completed the survey, all at U.S. dental schools; the numbers in the non-faculty groups were small, so the analysis was limited to the 61 faculty respondents (approximately 0.5% of U.S. dental faculty members in 2015). The results showed that these dental faculty members were less confident in their colleagues' knowledge and application of copyright and fair use than they were in their own knowledge and application. Both knowledge and attitude were found to be important factors in the respondents' decision making related to copyright and fair use, although it appeared that in some contexts faculty members relied on either knowledge or attitude more strongly than the other. A large percentage (88%, n=53) said they would be open to receiving additional training in copyright from their institution. Faculty development on this topic should address attitudes about the ethics regarding application of copyright law in addition to providing factual information and should emphasize what is permissible under current copyright law rather than simply discussing actions that constitute violations.

Academics’ experience of copyright

“…In the survey of AL staff, 51 per cent deemed comprehension as being adequate when asked about their perception of academics' understanding of copyright at their institution. This figure corresponds to that reported by Doubleday and Goben (2016) for academics reporting themselves as being "somewhat comfortable" with their knowledge of copyright.…”

“…In like vein, Sims's (2011) detailed report into copyright knowledge of, among others, library staff, researchers and, of relevance here, instructors, at one American university revealed that the majority of respondents considered themselves as having as much knowledge as most of their colleagues. However, as with Doubleday and Goben (2016), when focussing on selfassessment, Sims's study found substantial gaps in copyright knowledge, with little understanding of the basic principles of copyright law as well as confusion over classroom practice.…”

“…Questions for each survey were devised following the completion of much of the literature review, thereby providing a grounding in key issues covered by previous work, as well as an idea of areas not yet touched upon. As such, the wording for the questions posed, while largely self-devised, did draw influence from these previous studies (Di Valentino, 2015;Doubleday and Goben, 2016;Smith et al, 2006). Following drafting and refinement, the surveys were tested and critiqued before distribution to their target groups.…”

“…Out of the total, 77 per cent of respondents were also unaware or uncertain of their knowledge regarding Creative Commons licences, which provide content generators with a simple, standardised way to grant copyright permissions to their creative work (https://creativecommons.org/licenses). Doubleday and Goben's (2016) investigation of knowledge and attitudes towards copyright of faculty staff at North American dental schools showed that the survey participants lacked confidence in the knowledge of their colleagues when compared to their own knowledge. When asked about comfort levels in their own knowledge, 51 per cent of respondents regarded themselves as "somewhat comfortable", this despite an overwhelming 88 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing with the statement "sometimes I am confused about whether I am violating copyright and fair use laws or not".…”

A importância da bioética na prática odontológica: considerações atuais da literatura

“…Algumas normas devem ser seguidas para que um caso clínico possa ser publicado. De início, é necessária a permissão para reprodução do material fotográfico do paciente ou retirado de outro autor, aprovando a utilização das imagens em periódicos científicos 22 . Em seguida, a provação do Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa (CEP), quando referente a pesquisas com seres humanos 23 .…”