Merge pull request #2 from ACCESS-NRI/aidanheerdegen/issue1

Add COPYRIGHT header information to README

README.md

@@ -5,3 +5,53 @@ A general template repository for default settings when creating new repositorie
 This repository uses the Apache-2.0 license. `COPYRIGHT.txt` contains a current copyright statement which should be included at the top of all files.
 
 When creating a new repository you [can use this repository as a template](https://docs.github.com/en/repositories/creating-and-managing-repositories/creating-a-repository-from-a-template), to automate the creation of the correct license and COPYRIGHT statement.
+
+## COPYRIGHT Header
+
+Best practice suggests adding a copyright statement at the top of every source code file, or text file where it is possible to add a copyright statement without interfering with the purpose of the file. The reasoning is if a file is separated from the repository in which it resides then it may not be possible to ascertain it's licensing, which may hamper re-use.
+
+Making this as short and concise as possible reduces the overhead in including such a copyright statement. To that end using [SPDX identifiers](https://spdx.dev/ids/) is simple, efficient, portable and machine-readable.
+
+### Examples
+
+An example, short, copyright statement is reproduced below, as it might appear in different coding languages. Copy and add to files as appropriate: 
+
+#### plaintext
+It is common to include copyright statements at the bottom of a text document or website page
+```text
+© 2022 ACCESS-NRI and contributors. See the top-level COPYRIGHT file for details. 
+SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+```
+
+#### python
+For code it is more common to include the copyright in a comment at the top
+```python
+# Copyright 2022 ACCESS-NRI and contributors. See the top-level COPYRIGHT file for details.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+```
+
+#### shell
+```bash
+# Copyright 2022 ACCESS-NRI and contributors. See the top-level COPYRIGHT file for details.
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+```
+
+##### FORTRAN
+```fortran
+! Copyright 2022 ACCESS-NRI and contributors. See the top-level COPYRIGHT file for details.
+! SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+```
+
+#### C/C++ 
+```c
+// Copyright 2022 ACCESS-NRI and contributors. See the top-level COPYRIGHT file for details.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+```
+
+### Notes
+
+Note that the date is the first time the project is created. 
+
+The date signifies the year from which the copyright notice applies. **NEVER** replace with a later year, only ever add later years or a year range. 
+
+It is not necessary to include subsequent years in the copyright statement at all unless updates have been made at a later time, and even then it is largely discretionary: they are not necessary as copyright is contingent on the lifespan of copyright holder +50 years as per the [Berne Convention](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berne_Convention).