Q: Can I reuse a figure from a past Japanese case report in a current English paper?
I published a Japanese case report more than 2 years ago. Currently I am writing an English paper about several cases. Its contents and approach is very different from the former case report. However, one figure from has been reprinted from the case report. I am concerned if this practice is acceptable. Can you please advise what should be done in this situation?
When you reproduce a figure from a published paper, even if it is your own, you need to take written permission from the copyright holder. In most cases, the journal holds the copyright for published articles. Therefore, you should take written permission from the Japanese journal to use the figure in your English paper. Additionally, you must also cite the Japanese publication in your English article.
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