How to Build Open Attributions

Giving proper attribution to open works is easy if you remember a few simple rules and follow these steps.

All Creative Commons (CC) Licenses Require Attribution

Not only do you want to properly give credit for work, but you also want people to be able to find the original resource easily.

TASL Attribution Format

• T = title

• A = author (tell reusers who to give credit to)

• S = source (give reusers a link to the resource)

• L = license (link to the CC license deed)

Tools for Developing Attribution

Open Attribution BuilderLinks to an external site.: a web tool to assist users of CC material to properly attribute. It allows you to enter the title, URL for work, author and website, organization, and CC license type and will provide attribution information which can be copied and pasted into your own work containing the CC material.

Indicating a Derivative or Adaptation

You should always attribute the original work in any derivative work and identify that changes have been made. Often the simplest way to do this is to use the phrase “Adapted from …” or “This work is a derivative of…” and attribute the original work as you would normally. If your work incorporates a number of derivative works, you might say, “Adapted from the following sources…” and list each original work sequentially. Keep in mind that materials that have the Non-Derivatives license termLinks to an external site. (CC BY-ND, CC BY-NC-ND)  are allowed to be copied or redistributed as-is but not remixed.

Where to Place Your Attribution

For text resources (e.g. books, worksheets, PowerPoint slides, etc.), include the attribution where it naturally makes sense, such as immediately preceding or following the work, or as the footer along the bottom of the page on which the CC work appears. For videos, include the attribution information near the work as it appears on screen during the video. For sound recordings (e.g. podcasts), mention the name of the artist during the recording (like a radio announcement) and provide full attribution details in text near the podcast where it is being stored (e.g. blog, school intranet, learning management system, etc).

Attributions

• 4.1 Choosing and Applying a CC License, Creative Commons Certificate for Librarians, Creative Commons, offered under a CC Attribution.

• "Creative Commons 10th Birthday Celebration San Francisco" by tvol is licensed under CC BY 2.0

• Best practices for attribution, by CC Wiki licensed to the public under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.  

• “Open Attribution Builder” by Open Washington licensed under CC BY 4.0

• Open Attribute is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

• How to attribute a Creative Commons licensed work?, by CCCOER, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

• Unit 2, from the ASCCC OERI Canvas Course: Licensing and Copyright 

Attributions:

This content was pulled from ASCCC OERI Canvas Course Unit 5: Universal Design for Learning UDL and Open Educational Practices OEP by Suzanne Wakim, under CC BY license

Next up Project Management →