
How to use open access publishing
Authors can make their work open access by one of two routes. The first option is to pay the publisher a fee to make the article free-to-view from the date of publication. The second is to self-archive an electronic, peer-reviewed copy of the journal article on an institutional or subject based repository once the publisher's stated embargo period has elapsed.
The Sherpa Romeo website summarises permissions that are normally given as part of each publisher's copyright transfer agreement. It provides information such as embargo period, compliance with funding policies, type of document that can be archived and where it may be archived. Authors should be aware that not all publishers offer an open access publication option and where they do it may not be for all journals.