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Open Access

This page contains information about green open access.

Green Open Access

Green open padlock symbol representing Green Open Access, where the padlock is stylized with the lower half forming a circle around a smaller circle inside.About

Green open access is a type of open access that allows authors to self-archive their accepted manuscripts in an institutional repository or subject repository, either upon acceptance or after an embargo period.

Benefits

Green open access does not require article processing charges or open access fees. Researchers can avoid expensive fees while making their research freely available to anyone by sharing their work through green open access. Making research openly available through green open access can help increase its visibility and impact, regardless of a researcher's ability to pay an article processing charge or open access fee.

Publisher Policies

Not all publishers provide green open access options. Therefore, when selecting a journal for your research, it's essential to consider the open access options the publisher offers. Take the time to review the journal or publisher's policies on self-archiving, sharing your work, or green open access. Carefully examine author and copyright transfer agreements to ensure you choose a publisher that permits you to openly share specific versions of your work. 

Learn More:

University of California Libraries. (2018). Pathways to Open Access. UC Office of the President: University of California Systemwide Libraries. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5gc4r5mg

 

 

"File:Open Access logo PLoS white green.svg" by PLoS is marked with CC0 1.0 .

Article Versions

Publishing agreements usually explain the different versions of your work and how and where you are allowed to use and share these versions. Many publisher policies only allow the Accepted Manuscript to be deposited in institutional repositories like UDSpace.

Common Characteristics

Here are some common characteristics of the different versions of research as it moves through the publishing process:

  • Submitted version:
    • Also known as the submitted manuscript or preprint
    • The version that was initially submitted to the journal
    • It has not been through peer review, so it does not include any revisions from the review process
    • Has not been copy-edited

  • Accepted version:
    • Also known as the accepted manuscript (AM), author-accepted manuscript, or post-print
    • It is peer-reviewed and includes all revisions
    • It has not been copy-edited, so it likely does not have any of the publisher’s branding or other enhancements
    • It is commonly a double-spaced PDF, Word, or LaTeX document

  • Final version:
    • Also known as the version of record, published version, or publisher's version
    • Is the official version that appears in the journal
    • It is peer-reviewed and includes all revisions
    • It is copy-edited and type-set, so it likely has the publisher’s branding, fonts, and other enhancements

 

Versions of work during the publishing process:

 

 

A flow chart showing an article moving through the publishing process: Article Version Process Submitted Version Submit to publisher Peer review Edit Also known as: Preprint, Author’s Manuscript, Original Manuscript Accepted Version Accepted by publisher Also known as: Post-print, Accepted Manuscript Proofs Copyediting typesetting Version of Record Published Also known as: Published version. The process starts with the Submitted Version, which is submitted to the publisher, undergoes peer review, and is edited. Once accepted by the publisher, it becomes the Accepted Version. It then goes through copyediting and typesetting to produce the Proofs. Finally, the Version of Record is the published version of the article.

 

"Green Open Access" from USU Open Access Support Research Guide is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

Learn more:

Manuscript detectives – submitted, accepted or published?

Gold Open Access

Gold Open Access 

Would you like to openly share the final published version of your research instead of the Accepted Manuscript? Explore our Open Access agreements and APC discounts. 

You can also use the DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals or Open Policy Finder to find OA journals with no APC charges or journals that allow sharing the final published version of your work in the institutional repository.