Obtain the name and address of the publisher.

The page containing a notice of copyright can help you determine who owns the copyright, the year of publication, and the publishers' address. 

Request permission to duplicate, identifying:

1. Title, author, or editor; copyright or publication date, and edition of the book (issue of the journal or newspaper) in which the material appears.
2. Exactly what you want to use, giving amount, page numbers, chapters and, if possible, a photocopy of the material, title, and copyright page.
3. Number of copies to be made.
4. Use to be made of duplicated materials and form of distribution (e.g., as course material and whether collected with other excerpts or materials, whether bound or unbound).
5. Whether or not the material is to be sold;
6. Type of reprint (digital, photocopy, etc.)

Additional points to address:

1. Request all permissions for a specific project at the same time;
2. Don't ask for blanket permission--it cannot, in most cases, be granted;
3. Allow enough time to obtain the necessary permission before the materials are needed. Granting permission to duplicate is not a "yes" or "no" matter. Each request requires a careful checking of the status of the copyright, determination of exact materials to be duplicated, and assignment of author's royalties if fees are involved.

Adapted from: "Question and Answers on Copyright for the Campus Community," by The National Association of College Stores, Inc., and the Association of American Publishers. 1989.