Green Open Access
- What is Green Open Access?
- How can I follow the Green Road at UNIL?
- Does self-archiving (Green Open Access) violate copyright?
- What is an embargo period?
- What is a pre-print?
- What is a post-print?
- What is SERVAL?
What is Green Open Access?
The Green Road refers to the parallel publication of a version of the manuscript in an open repository, or self-archiving. Open repositories can be institutional, as our own SERVAL, or disciplinary.
The publication is often delayed (embargo period) and allowed only for the author accepted manuscript (AAM), also known as postprint. This is the manuscript accepted for publication (post peer-reviewed), but before all copyediting by the editor.
SHERPA/RoMEO is an excellent resource when trying to learn a publisher's policy on self-archiving. Héloïse is a similar service available for francophone journals.
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 manuscript after the embargo period specified by your publisher.
The best way to know which version your publisher allows to deposit and the embargo they require, you can look for the publishing contract you signed when your publication was accepted. Alternatively, SHERPA/RoMEO is an excellent tool to check the standard terms of your publisher. Heloïse is the homologous service for french publishers and journals.
What is an embargo period?
An embargo is a period during which access to academic articles is not allowed to users who have not paid for access (or have access through their institution). The purpose of this is to ensure publishers have revenue to support their activities.
Therefore, in Green Open Access, an embargo period refers to the period of time in which the allowed version of the manuscript must remain closed in the institutional repository after publication. Once the embargo period expires, the manuscript is released and available to everyone.
What is a pre-print?
Post-print (or Author Accepted Manuscript, AAM): A post-print is a document that has been through the peer review process and incorporated reviewers comments. It is the final version of the paper before it is sent off to the journal for publication. It still looks like the double spaced .doc file. It is useful to think of this version as post-peer review.
Published version/PDF (or Version of Record): This is the version that has been typeset by the publisher and that is published in their website.
What is a post-print?
Post-print (or Author Accepted Manuscript, AAM): A post-print is a document that has been through the peer review process and incorporated reviewers comments. It is the final version of the paper before it is sent off to the journal for publication. It still looks like the double spaced .doc file. It is useful to think of this version as post-peer review.
Published version/PDF (or Version of Record): This is the version that has been typeset by the publisher and that is published in their website.
What is SERVAL?
SERVAL (SERveur Académique Lausannois) is our institutional repository. Using SERVAL has many benefits.
SERVAL is a great tool for securely storing your scientific publications and a platform to render them open by following the Green Road. Depositing in SERVAL is compliant with virtually all Open Access mandates.
The aim of SERVAL is twofold:
- Firstly, it aims at gathering and preserving all the scientific production of UNIL.
- Secondly, it aims at maximising our researchers' visibility, by enabling them to follow the Green Open Access road.