Q: Can I send journal contents as a paid e-newsletter if I summarize them in my own words?
I am working in the rehabilitation field, and I feel that useful research results published in journals are not fully communicated or shared to the actual clinical scene. I understand that the journal holds the copyright of the papers unless they are published in open access (OA) journals. So, I am thinking of summarizing the contents of papers (especially focusing on OA journals) by myself (without reusing the tables, figures, and texts) and sending it to medical staff as a paid e-newsletter. Is such an activity acceptable?
To start off, we understand the scenario you have described. Although research communication is a growing area and many researchers these days are aware of different means of communicating their research, a lot more can still be done. Research communication, as you have rightly observed, is especially important for showing the relevance of a study to clinical practice, .
So, we can also understand why you are seeking to do what you are seeking to do. In fact, it’s quite entrepreneurial or at least enterprising, true to the innovative qualities of being a researcher. :-)
However, there are a few points you need to keep in mind before proceeding as planned.
Firstly, whether an OA journal or an online article (such as a blog post or a news piece), you need to check the type of Creative Commons (CC) license in use. As long as the article uses a CC BY or a CC BY-SA (ShareAlike), you are free to adapt the material and even share for commercial use as long as you credit the creator. This is only fair to do, and is like referencing an article. In fact, providing links to these pieces will also foster the research communication you were referring to earlier and also provide validation for your content. You may learn more about the CC licenses here (English) or here (Japanese).
From a commercial perspective, you haven’t mentioned whether you plan to do this in an individual capacity or as part of a company you plan to set up. If you plan to do this as a company, there may be some corporate regulations you may need to adhere to. While we do know that a marketing e-product, such as a newsletter, does not need to have an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), as you can read here, anything more would be beyond our core area of expertise. So, based on what you are planning for your endeavor or enterprise, you will need to decide and refer to the right authorities and regulations (also because some of these may be country- or region-specific).
Hope that helps. You may also find this resource helpful: What's the difference between a license agreement and a copyright transfer agreement?
Incidentally, you may also wish to check out Impact Science, our offering in the sphere of research communication, through which we help researchers communicate their findings in ways such as press releases, blog posts, infographics, and videos.
This content belongs to the Conducting Research Stage