Open Access – Frequently Asked Questions from WUR researchers
By Nina Koele
During the WUR Library Open Access meetings, we receive questions about various aspects of Open Access publishing. Here, we answer these Open Access frequently asked questions, with links to more detailed information.
What is prepaid Open Access?
Prepaid Open Access means that the WUR Library has an arrangement with the publisher for publishing WUR articles Open Access. WUR authors can use prepaid Open Access to publish their article Open Access in these journals at full or partial discount on Article Processing Charges. The corresponding author must be affiliated with WUR at time of acceptance of the article in order to be eligible for these prepaid Open Access deals.
Use the filter “Open Access APC discount” in the Journal browser to find out what journals have prepaid Open Access, and how to use it.
Can I post my article on ResearchGate?
You can always share your articles with individuals. However, embargo or copyright may restrict you from uploading and publicly sharing full-text papers on ResearchGate or similar platforms. To look up a journal’s sharing policy, visit its website, or use SHERPA/RoMEO. This database lists publishers’ policies on sharing articles online. Open Access papers can always be publicly shared.
What is Gold, Hybrid and Green Open Access?
- Gold: the journal is fully Open Access, thus all content is freely available to read and share. Gold Open Access journals do not have a subscription model.
- Hybrid: a subscription journal where authors may choose to publish their article Open Access.
- Green: the post-print, non-typeset author’s version of an accepted article, is filed in a repository such as Staff publications
What are pre- and post-print versions of a published article?
- The pre-print is the first submitted manuscript of your article before peer-review, without revisions. It can usually be publicly shared, without restrictions and embargo. We do not advise to use this version for Open Access publishing.
- The post-print is the final submitted manuscript after peer-review. It includes your last revisions, but has not yet been typeset by the publisher. The post-print can usually be publicly shared after an embargo period.
- The publisher’s version is the final article, formatted and typeset by the publisher, and often may not be publicly shared.
Which repository should I choose for Green Open Access?
Staff Publications is the WUR repository. It contains bibliographical references and if possible a link to the full text. Staff Publications is indexed by search engines such as Google Scholar and Narcis. WUR supports Open Access by encouraging authors to file their articles in this repository.
You may also file your post-prints in other repositories, just be aware that funders who mandate (green) Open Access often have rules for the quality of repositories. Repositories must have a quality standard and provide persistent links to the content (long-term archiving). Institutional repositories, such as Staff Publications, usually fulfill such quality standards. Beware that repositories such as ResearchGate may not qualify as long-term quality archiving options.
How do I file a post-print version in the WUR repository for Green Open Access?
- Check if the publisher allows you to file the post-print in the institutional repository, and whether there is an embargo period. Check the list of journals or search in the SHERPA/RoMEO database.
- Before offering the post-print to Staff Publications, you must add a cover sheet to the publication. Download the template.
- Send the document to the Library. The WUR Library will then ensure that the post-print is made available through Staff Publications.
Where can I find the embargo for my published article?
Search in the SHERPA/RoMEO database and double check with the journal’s own website. Verify which version of your article you can share in a repository after embargo. The post-print version can usually be deposited in Staff Publications after an embargo, however, the publisher’s version is often prohibited from publicly sharing.
The corresponding author of my article is not affiliated with WUR, can I still publish Open Access?
To be eligible for WUR prepaid Open Access, the corresponding author of the article must have a WUR affiliation at the time of manuscript acceptance, verified through the WUR email address. If the corresponding author is from a different institution, you may still be able to publish Open Access:
- Check if the corresponding author is eligible for prepaid Open Access via his/her institution. Dutch universities all have the mandate to publish Open Access, as part of the VSNU agreements (Association of universities in the Netherlands). Also, many universities and research institutions abroad have Open Access agreements.
- Find out if the research funder has funds for Open Access publishing. For instance, EU funding programs FP7 and Horizon 2020 have Open Access funding options available. Similarly, NWO provides funds to publish Open Access.
Checklist for WUR authors
Download our brochure ‘How to publish Open Access: Quick starter’.
Do you have other questions? Have a look at the WUR Open Access webpages, or contact WUR Library staff.
Presentations at the Sciences Groups on Open Access developments: available dates
Image: student audience by University of the Fraser Valley (CC BY 2.0)