Green open access--or, self-archiving--refers to placing a version of your article into an institutional repository (like SURFACE at SU) or other open access repositories. There are often restrictions on when and in what form your work can be deposited in a green OA repository. To find out if/what version of your article you can share, please consult Sherpa Romeo or your publisher. Remember that articles published years ago can be made open access in this way. Again, be sure to check for any restrictions set by your publisher.
Common restrictions on authors seeking to add their work to a repository include:
- Embargo periods which dictate when you can make a version of your article available. For example, a journal may stipulate that you can deposit a version of your article six months after publication of the version of record.
- Authors can submit to SURFACE at any time and specify an embargo period in the submission process.
- Which Creative Commons License you can/must apply to the green OA articles. Some journals or funders will mandate a specific license be applied to the green OA version.
- Which version of the article can be shared
- Submitted version/preprint
- Accepted version/postprint
- Published version/version of record
- The type of repository you can use
- Some publishers allow for green OA versions only in institutional repositories (like SURFACE) or other non-commercial repositories. Others also allow for deposit in commercial, for-profit repositories like Academia.edu and Researchgate.
Contact Open Scholarship Librarian, Dylan Mohr, with any questions.
