Which of the following is a critical aspect of protecting published articles?

Copyright registration is essential in protecting published articles because it provides legal acknowledgment of the author's rights over their work. When an article is copyrighted, the author gains exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and display their work, thereby safeguarding it against unauthorized use or plagiarism. This legal framework not only establishes ownership but also allows the author to take legal action against infringement, which is crucial in a landscape where content can easily be copied or misattributed.

While personal notes may provide insight into an author's thought process, they do not offer any legal protection. Student acknowledgment can enhance the academic rigor or attribution within a scholarly environment, but it does not offer any rights to the intellectual property contained in the articles. Instructor-led discussions may facilitate learning and critical thinking about the content but do not contribute to the protection of the published work itself. Therefore, copyright registration stands out as the most critical means of ensuring that an author's intellectual property rights are formally recognized and protected.