Creative Commons (CC) refers to a suite of seven 'off the shelf' copyright licences that any author or copyright owner can apply to their work. There is more information on our Copyright for BGU Staff LibGuide.
Each CC licence represents a set of terms and conditions that state how other people can use and build upon published work (more info here), and they are free to use - copyright holders simply assert the license the wish to use and include a short statement and link somewhere in their work.
Many journal articles are published under Creative Commons licenses, although most publishers will stipulate which ones you are permitted to choose.
Using a Creative Commons license is a great way to promote and share your work, ensuring your research makes maximum impact. The licences are also important for external policy compliance; the UKRI Open Access Policy requires research funded by UK Research Councils use a CC-BY licence (more info here), and it's likely they will also feature in the next REF Open Access Policy.
Wanna Work Together? from Creative Commons on Vimeo.