The Copyright Anxiety Study is a collaboration between the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, City St George’s, University of London and the University of Alberta. The research project was undertaken in 2023-2024.
Professionals in the UK higher education sector were invited to complete a survey and we undertook follow up focus groups.
The aim of this project was to explore levels of copyright anxiety across the UK and Canadian higher education sector, and determine the extent to which copyright law ‘chills’ innovative research and teaching practice. The research compared UK responses with those in Canada to investigate the extent to which legal and cultural differences impact on copyright anxiety as a phenomenon.
It asked the following research questions:
- Is copyright anxiety an observable phenomenon in the UK and Canadian higher education sector?
- Are there differences in copyright anxiety levels based on professional identity?
- Are there differences in copyright anxiety levels based on geographic location?
- What interventions could help alleviate copyright anxiety in the higher education sector?
The research used a revised version of the copyright anxiety scale survey which was developed at the University of Alberta in 2019. In addition the research team ran focus groups to determine whether “hampered” copyright scenarios were the result of legal chill and what interventions might help alleviate copyright anxiety.
The research team comprises:
- Chris Morrison – Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
- Dr Jane Secker – City, University of London
- Amanda Wakaruk – University of Alberta
- Céline Gareau-Brennan – University of Alberta
- Rose Zhang – Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Publications and outputs
Secker, J. Morrison, C and Wakaruk A (2025, June 13) Webinar 78: Findings from the Copyright Anxiety Study: Jane Secker, Chris Morrison and Amanda Wakaruk. Available at: https://youtu.be/QH0Ydz3JZnQ
Secker, J (2025, Aug 21) Copyright Anxiety in Higher Education: findings from our research. Blog post Available at: https://copyrightliteracy.org/2025/08/21/copyright-anxiety-in-higher-education-findings-from-our-research/
Secker, J, Morrison, C and Wakaruk, A (2025) Copyright anxiety and digital learning. Workshop delivered at the Research in Digital Learning in Higher Education Conference. Newcastle University. Available at: https://www.northumbriajournals.co.uk/index.php/ridlhe/article/view/1634/1925
Wakaruk, A., Gareau-Brennan, C., Pietrosanu, P. (2021). Introducing the Copyright Anxiety Scale. Journal of Copyright in Education and Librarianship, 5(1), 1–38. https://doi.org/10.17161/jcel.v5i1.15212
Wakaruk, A., Secker, J., & Morrison, C. (2025). Copyright Anxiety and Legal Chill in Higher Education: A Comparison of Canada and the United Kingdom (UK). Journal of Copyright in Education & Librarianship, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.17161/jcel.v8i1.23058
Wakaruk, A, Secker, J and Morrison C (2025) Are Copyright Anxiety and Legal Chill Hampering Your Work? Blog post on Authors Alliance site available at: https://www.authorsalliance.org/2025/09/18/are-copyright-anxiety-and-legal-chill-hampering-your-work/
Please contact chris [dot] morrison [at] bodleian.ox.ac.uk if you have any questions about the research.
Copyright Literacy 