How to Complete a RightsLink® Request

Before requesting permission, please confirm the details of your publication and the rights needed with your Editorial team.

1. Locate the desired Journal article on the rightsholder’s website.  There should be a link on the article or table of contents to request permission to reuse the article.  Clicking this link will take you to that article’s RightsLink page. See an example of a typical RightsLink page below. 

The fields and options available may vary from rights holder to rights holder; however, the following steps will typically cover the majority of available options.

2. Select your re-use option for “I would like to…” from the drop-down menu. You will want to select ‘Reuse/republish in a book’ or its equivalent.

If you are an author of the work in question and are seeking to reuse your own material from that publisher in your new book, there should be an option where you can indicate such.  It may be its own unique field, or sometimes it may be found as an option under “I would like to…” or “Requestor type.”  RightsLink may then provide you with additional instructions; if not, continue with the following steps.

3. Select the requestor type. As your title is being published by SAGE, Corwin Press, or CQ Press, you will need to select ‘Publisher (STM)’ if available, otherwise select ‘Publisher.’  SAGE Publishing, Corwin Press, and CQ Press are all signatories of the STM Guidelines.  Do not select ‘Non-commercial,’ ‘University,’ or ‘Academic’ options.

You may also be prompted to then select or indicate that the publisher is SAGE Publications.

4. If the rightsholder inquires whether this request is for a pharmaceutical or medical products company, select ‘No.’

5. Select the format rights your book title requires from those provided. In most cases, this includes "Print" and "Electronic/Digital" formats.

6. Select the appropriate portion of the material you are seeking to re-use from the list of available options.

If you select ‘Figure/table’ or ‘Excerpt’, you will generally be prompted to enter how many you are requesting, like so:

Note: For excerpts, most rightsholders have specific definitions as to what they consider to be a single ‘excerpt.’ Oftentimes, an excerpt will be reuse of up to 400 words or less (up to 800 words would be two excerpts/pages, up to 1200 words would be three excerpts/pages, etc.), though this is dependent on each rightsholder. If in doubt, you can usually select the Question bubble alongside “Portion” to take you to a webpage with specific definitions. Other times, a text message in red may appear above the fields with a more detailed explanation.

7. Select the necessary language rights your book title requires from those provided. In most cases, English language is sufficient, but confirm this with your Editorial team.

8. For circulation, either select the necessary amount (if a drop-down menu is provided) or else type in the circulation number.  If you are requesting multiple format rights (such as print and electronic), you will need to enter in the total circulation number for both formats (e.g., 300 hardcopy and 100 ebooks would be a total circulation of 400).

9. Select your currency if you will be paying for the permissions in a different currency than the one indicated.

10. Once the fields have been selected/filled out, click on the ‘Quick Price’ button to obtain a price quote. Before completing the order, please review the Terms of Use, to be sure you are comfortable with the license terms. Click ‘Continue’ to complete your request.  Depending on your selections, your request might sometimes be redirected to the publisher to review and approve. If this occurs, you will receive a notice. Otherwise, you will able to proceed with your order.

11. You will then be prompted to enter information regarding your forthcoming book: title, author, expected publication date, and the estimated size of your book (number of pages). Once these fields have been entered, click “Continue.”  When you complete your request, be sure to print a copy of the full license terms and proof of payment to include within the permissions file.

Special Instances

• If the rights you require are not listed, or if you have an unusual permissions request not covered by the options provided, some publishers may offer a ‘I don’t see my intended reuse’ option under “I would like to…”.  Select this option only if you are unable to complete your request as outlined above. Be certain to provide the rightsholder with as much information about your request as possible – the material you are reusing, the rights you require, circulation numbers, the title of your book, and to indicate that the publisher is SAGE.