Publisher policies
The rules for sharing a scientific work by the author depend on the licence agreement concluded with the publisher. Depending on its terms, publishers may allow self-archiving of different versions of the work: preprint, postprint and final published version.
| Manuscript version |
Preprint (Author’s Original Manuscript, AOM) |
Postprint (Author Accepted Manuscript, AAM) |
Final published version (Version of Record, VoR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviewed | No | Yes | Yes |
| Accepted | No | Yes | Yes |
| Published | No | No | Yes |
| Comments | Raw manuscript text sent to the journal, prior to review, without corrections or editorial formatting. | Reviewed and accepted manuscript text, prior to publication, without full formatting and layout of the journal. | Reviewed, final text of the scientific publication made available on the publisher's website, with full formatting and layout of the journal. |
How to check publisher policies
Publishing policies may vary between journals (even within the same publisher), so it is advisable to consult the publisher's website or Jisc's Open Policy Finder (formerly SHERPA/RoMEO) and Directory of Open Access Journals to confirm the policy of the selected journal and check its compliance with the requirements of, e.g., the funding institution.
Types of scientific journals
| Closed access journal | Open access journal | Hybrid open access journal | Delayed open access journal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Access to publications | For subscribers only | Free and unlimited | Depending on the publication model: some publications offer free and unlimited access, while others are available for a fee or to subscribers only. | Depending on the date of publication: older publications offer free and unlimited access, while the latest publications are subject to an embargo (usually 6–12 months). |
| Closed access journal | Open access journal | Hybrid open access journal | Delayed open access journal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free of cost publishing | Yes | No | Yes – green open access model | Yes |
| Pay-per-use publishing (APC) | No | Yes | Yes – gold open access model | No |