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For Professionals

Research Publications Access and Use Policy

1. Purpose

This policy sets out the terms and conditions governing access to, and use of research papers and related outputs produced by, commissioned by, or shared with Primary Eyecare Services.

It aims to ensure that research outputs are:

  • Used appropriately and lawfully;
  • Protected from unauthorised distribution or misuse;
  • Handled in accordance with copyright legislation; and
  • managed in line with applicable information governance standards, including data protection, confidentiality, and records management requirements.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all individuals and organisations granted access to Primary Eyecare Services research outputs, included but not limited to:

  • NHS organisations, commissioners, and partners;
  • Academic and research collaborators;
  • Professional bodies and charities;
  • Contractors, consultants, and third-party organisations; requirements.
  • Internal staff.

This policy covers all research outputs, including:

  • NHS organisations, commissioners, and partners;
  • Academic and research collaborators;
  • Professional bodies and charities;
  • Contractors, consultants, and third-party organisations; requirements.
  • Internal staff.

3. Ownership and Copyright

Unless otherwise stated, copyright in research outputs remains with the author(s) and/or Primary Eyecare Services.

Access to research materials does not:

  • Transfer ownership;
  • Grant a licence to distribute, adapt or republish content; or
  • Override any existing publisher or third-party rights.

Where content includes third-party material, users are responsible for complying with the rights and permissions associated with that material.

4. Permitted Use

Users may:

  • Access, view, and download materials for personal, professional, or non-commercial academic use only;
  • Use the information to inform clinical practice, service delivery, research, commissioning, or policy development;
  • Cite the work in other materials, provided full and accurate attribution is given;
  • Include brief quotations, where permitted by law, with appropriate referencing and without misrepresenting the original meaning.

All use must be proportionate, lawful, and consistent with the purpose for which access was granted.

5. Prohibited Use

Without prior written permission, users must not:

  • Share, circulate, or distribute materials to third parties;
  • Reproduce or republish materials, in whole or in part, in any format, including digital platforms, publications, or training resources;
  • Copy or extract substantial portions of text, data, figures, tables, or images;
  • Modify, adapt, translate, or create derivative works;
  • Use materials for commercial purposes, including marketing, resale, or consultancy outputs;
  • Remove or alter copyright notices, authorship information, or acknowledgements.

6. Permission and Licensing

Written permission must be obtained prior to:

  • Reproducing figures, tables, or substantial text extracts; [england.nhs.uk]
  • Including content in publications, presentations, or training materials;
  • Sharing materials externally beyond the original recipient or organisation;
  • Adapting, translating, or modifying content;
  • Any commercial use.

Permission requests must clearly describe:

  • The material to be used;
  • The intended use;
  • The audience and distribution;
  • Whether the use is internal, external, academic, or commercial.

Permissions may be granted subject to conditions, including attribution requirements, restrictions on editing, and limits on further distribution.

7. Attributes

Where use is permitted, all materials must be properly cited.  As a minimum, citation must include:

  • Author(s);
  • Title of the work;
  • Primary Eyecare Services, where applicable;
  • Year of publication;
  • Source or DOI, where available.

Permitted use must not imply endorsement by Primary Eyecare Services or the author(s).

8. Information Governance and Confidentiality

All users must comply with applicable information governance requirements.

Information governance within the NHS encompasses data protection, confidentiality, and records management, and requires that information is handled securely, lawfully, and appropriately.

Accordingly:

  • Materials must be stored securely and accessed only by authorised individuals;
  • Confidential, sensitive, or unpublished content must not be disclosed without permission;
  • Users must not use materials in a way that risks identification of individuals or disclosure of sensitive organisational information;
  • All use must align with the purpose for which access was granted.

9. Unpublished and Draft Materials

Where materials are shared in draft, pre-publication, or unpublished form:

  • Access is confidential and restricted to the named recipient;
  • Content must not be cited, quoted, shared, or relied upon externally without prior written permission;
  • Such materials must not be uploaded to repositories, websites, or shared platforms.

10. Breach of Policy

Failure to comply with this policy may result in:

  • Withdrawal of access to materials;
  • Requirement to delete or return distributed content;
  • Refusal of future access requests;
  • Escalation in line with contractual or governance arrangements.

11. Requests and Contact

Requests for permission to use or share materials should be submitted to: research@primaryeyeare.co.uk.

Requests should include full details of the intended use as outlined in Section 6.

12. Review and Governance

This policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure compliance with:

  • Copyright legislation;
  • Publisher and licensing requirements;
  • NHS information governance standards.

Version Control

Version: v1.0 (Draft)
Effective Date: 30/06/2026
Approved Date: Amy Hughes, Head of Research