Submission terms

Version: draft 29 September 2026.

In short

• You keep the copyright in everything you send us.
• You let us use it for research. We only publish it if you said we could.
• Only send material that you created or have permission to share, and that was captured safely and legally.
• You can ask us to withdraw your submission at any time.

1. Who these terms are with

These terms are between you and Newcastle University ("we", "us"), which runs the Against the flow research project on this website. By submitting an observation, you agree to them. Our privacy notice explains how we handle personal data.

2. Your copyright and the licence you give us

You keep all copyright and other rights in the photos, videos and text you submit ("your content"). By submitting, you give Newcastle University a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to use, copy, store, analyse and adapt your content for non-commercial research purposes. This includes:

• analysing images to identify and count pellets, including with computer software, and using them to train and test pellet-detection methods
• keeping your files unaltered, including their embedded date, time and location, and using that information in the research
• comparing observations with computer models of the river
• sharing your content with the named research team at Newcastle University and the University of Liverpool
• including anonymised information from your observation (such as date, place and pellet count) in research datasets, maps, reports and publications

Publishing your images. If, and only if, you chose a publishing option, the licence also covers reproducing your images in research papers, reports, presentations, teaching and outreach materials, and on this website. We'll credit you by name if you asked us to. Otherwise we'll credit "project contributor". We may crop images, adjust brightness and contrast, and blur people and registration plates. Published copies never include the date, time or location metadata stored in your files.

Because you keep your copyright, you remain free to use your content in any other way, including sharing it elsewhere.

3. Withdrawing

You can withdraw your submission, or change your publishing choice, by emailing privacy@tynenurdles.org.uk and quoting your reference number. We will then stop using your content and delete it. The only exceptions are anonymised information already included in research results, and material already published in print or in peer-reviewed publications, which we cannot recall.

4. What you confirm when you submit

• You are 18 or over.
• You created the content, or the owner has given you permission to submit it on these terms.
• To the best of your knowledge, the information you provide is accurate.
• You didn't break the law, trespass or put yourself or others at risk to capture it.
• You have avoided capturing identifiable people or, where someone is identifiable, you have their permission.

5. What not to submit

Please don't submit content that:

• shows children, or identifiable adults without their knowledge
• is offensive, abusive, defamatory or unlawful, or infringes anyone else's rights
• contains other people's personal information
• is unrelated to the project, or is advertising
• contains malware or is designed to disrupt the website

6. How we review submissions

Submissions are private. They are never shown on the website automatically. A member of the research team reviews each one. We may delete, without notice, any submission that breaks these terms or isn't relevant to the research. Where the law requires it, we will report unlawful content to the appropriate authorities.

If you believe material on this website infringes your rights or shows you without permission, email contact@tynenurdles.org.uk. We will remove it promptly while we look into it.

7. Other terms

• Submitting is voluntary and unpaid. It doesn't create any employment or other relationship with the University.
• We can't guarantee that every submission will be used in the research.
• We can't accept responsibility for any loss or injury while you're collecting observations. Please follow our safety advice. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law.
• We may update these terms. Each submission is governed by the version in place when it was made.
• These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales.