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Permission Requests

Permission is required before reproducing any content from Scientific American’s magazines, website(s) and digital products. There are 3 ways to request permission for reuse, explained below. For all other questions, see our FAQs that follow.

RightsLink

Permission to reproduce most text, illustrations and graphics is processed via the Copyright Clearance Center’s RightsLink service. For magazine covers, see the next section on email requests.

Please note that we do not process photography permissions. We suggest you contact the photographer listed in image credit.

To submit a request:

  • Locate the content on ScientificAmerican.com.
  • Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the text URL that says "Rights & Permissions." If you do not see this link, the article is not available for licensing through RightsLink; proceed the next section on email requests.
  • Follow the prompts to fill out usage and publication details.
  • Sign into or create a RightsLink account.
  • Accept terms, submit payment and print license.

Scientific American has a metered paywall. Unregistered readers to our site will have access to three articles per month before they are asked to register. To submit a request if you’ve reached the paywall:

  • Create an account with us. Registration is free.
  • Registered readers have access to 5 articles per month before being asked to subscribe.
  • If you still cannot access the content and the RightsLink URL, email us with your request as instructed in the next section. Please note that we may provide you with the RightsLink URL to complete your transaction.

Email requests

For permission requests unavailable through RightsLink and for requests to use magazine covers, email us at randp@sciam.com. For fastest processing, be sure to include all of the following (missing information will only cause delays):

  • Type of content requested: article text only, article text + images, image/graphic only, text excerpt, magazine cover, podcast, other.
  • Content citation: Title, author, print publication date (month/year) or web posting date (month day, year), print page(s) if applicable and URL
  • Publication information: Title of work or URL for websites, author/editor of work, publisher’s name and address, language (English or other), territory (US/other/world), and a brief description
  • Type of reuse: Republish in any media (book, magazine, newsletter, presentation, other), repost on website or intranet, reuse in a film or TV program, or other intended use. Please be specific.
  • Format of reuse (include all that apply): print, digital, audio, other
  • Audience size: number of copies for print products and/or number of unique users for digital assets

Due to high volume, allow 8-10 weeks for processing of email requests. Requests will be processed in the order they are received. Please do not submit duplicate requests or ask for a status update. Doing so may delay processing time.

Photocopy requests

Photocopying rights are hereby granted by Scientific American, a division of Springer Nature America, Inc., to libraries and others registered with the not-for-profit organization, Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) to photocopy articles in the printed version of Scientific American. To register with the CCC go to: http://www.copyright.com. or call CCC, Phone No. 978-750-8400.

FAQs

Author or Artist Contact Information

Due to privacy concerns, we cannot provide contact information.

Author or Artist Requests

Scientific American authors and artists should contact editors@sciam.com for instructions related to re-use of your content.

Digital Files

We do not provide digital files.

Embed Codes and RSS Feeds

Permission is not required for your use of our publicly available Scientific American branded RSS feeds or publicly available Scientific American branded video Embed codes.

Embargo period

We do not grant permission to license magazine content for a period of 90 days from the cover date of the issue. Please check back after the embargo period has ended to see if the article is available for licensing. (If you still do not see the words “Rights and Permissions” at the bottom of the article, it means the article is not available for licensing.)

Endorsements

We do not permit our content to be used to imply endorsement of a product or service.

Excerpts

Must be reproduced verbatim, as a continuous, uninterrupted excerpt. No alteration is permitted. Excerpts cannot be used in such a way as to change the intended meaning of the original article.

Fair Use

Some proposed uses may fall under the Fair Use legal doctrine. We cannot provide you with advice about what constitutes Fair Use. For reference go to: https://copyright.gov/fair-use/more-info.html.

Fees

All permission licenses are subject to fees, with the minimum permission fee starting at $100.

Foreign Languages

To translate content into a foreign language or license content from one of our international editions, contact the international edition directly. For a complete list of our international editions, go to https://www.scientificamerican.com/page/international/.

Linking to Scientific American Contents

Permission is not required to link to our content.

Photo Permissions

We do not process permissions for photos. We suggest you contact the photographer listed in the photo credit.

Post a PDF

Posting Scientific American PDFs is not permitted.

Public domain

We cannot provide advice about whether specific content is in the public domain. Note: Trademark rules may still apply to content in the public domain.

Reprints

To request reprints, email randp@sciam.com. Minimum order quantity is 500 copies.
To request single copies of back issues, call 800-333-1199.

Research Services

We do not provide research services and cannot help you locate images, articles, issues, etc.

Rush Requests

We do not offer rush services. Due to high volume, please allow 8-10 weeks for a response to ALL permission requests.

Customer Service

For individual subscribers:

Visit our Help Center for general self-help such as:

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