The "Right to Research" web site and brochure describe the issues involved when published research results are not openly available. This site also presents options available to students as writers and creators.
Use SHERPA/ROMEO to identify to publisher copyright policies regarding the self- archiving of journal articles on the web and in Open Access repositories.
SHERPA (Securing a Hybrid Environment for Research Preservation and Access) lists publishers' archiving policies and copyright contracts, archiving mandates from different funding agencies, and lists of repositories. Additional SHERPA resources:
Scholar's Copyright Addendum Engine from Science Commons allows you to select the terms of your author's amendment, including immediate or delayed access for example. It generates a PDF that you attach to your publication agreement.
Creative Commons licensing models and tools are available for the creators of literature, music, visual arts, and scholarly works in digital form.
NIH Public Access Policy Guide for Research Universities describes the policy and procedures for depositing articles written under NIH grants in PubMedCentral.