6. Q&A

Open Access

What is Open Access?

Open Access, as defined by the Budapest Open Access Initiative , is the free of charge, immediate...

Is publishing in an Open Access journal the only way to do Open Access?

No. Publishing in a (pay-to-publish or free-to-publish) Open Access journal constitutes the Gold...

An Open Access journal has invited me to publish in their journal. How do I know it's a trustworthy publisher?

With the development of OA, parasitic or « predatory » OA journals have started to exploit the « ...

Can I publish my monograph in Open Access?

Yes. Though article OA is well developed, monograph OA is still in its infancy and practices are...

Do Open Access mandates limit academic freedom?

The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines academic freedom as "the freedom of teachers and students to...

Can I deposit my old publications in SERVAL?

In principle, yes, but you must first check which rights you've transfered to your editor. Use t...

Gold Open Access

What is Gold Open Access?

The Gold Road refers to the immediate Open Access publication. This is possible either through p...

There are no good Open Access journals in my domain. How could I possibly comply with Open Access mandates?

If you have checked the Directory of Open Access Journals, DOAJ and haven't found any relevant jo...

Do all Open Access journals charge Article Processing Charges (APC)?

No. Many OA journals do not charge Article Processing Charges (APC). In fact, 74% of the journal...

Green Open Access

What is Green Open Access?

The Green Road refers to the parallel publication of a version of the manuscript in an open repos...

How can I follow the Green Road at UNIL?

In order to follow the Green Road at UNIL you can use our institutional repository, SERVAL.

Does self-archiving (Green Open Access) violate copyright?

Not as long as you make sure you are depositing and opening the correct version of your manuscrip...

What is an embargo period?

An embargo is a period during which access to academic articles is not allowed to users who have ...

What is a pre-print?

Pre-print (or Author Submitted Manuscript, ASM): A pre-print is the original version of the manus...

What is a post-print?

Pre-print (or Author Submitted Manuscript, ASM): A pre-print is the original version of the manus...

What is SERVAL?

SERVAL (SERveur Académique Lausannois) is our institutional repository. Using SERVAL has many ben...

No Deal situation

This FAQ aims to answer the main questions related to the current No Deal situation between Swiss...

What is a Read & Publish agreement and why are we in a No Deal situation with Springer/Sage?

A Read and Publish agreement is an agreement with publishers that not only guarantees access to s...

Who negotiates Read & Publish agreements and how are decisions made?

Read and Publish licenses are negotiated by the Consortium of Swiss Academic Libraries (CSAL). Ac...

Can I still publish with Sage/Springer Nature?

In order to support the national negotiating team and in accordance with the recommendations of s...

Can I continue to peer review for these publishers or serve on the editorial boards of their journals?

Scientific editors involved in journals published by these publishing houses are invited to criti...

How can I access articles in a No Deal situation?

We recommend searching for articles in their Open Access version, which is made easier by install...

Gradual phase-out of Read & Publish

This FAQ answers questions related to UNIL's decision to gradually phase out “Read & Publish” lic...

What is a Read & Publish agreement and what is it for?