Why is it Important for Authors to Know About Open Access?
For people who work in academic environments, the decision of where and how to publish their work has many repercussions. It is important for authors to consider factors such as the following:
- Maximizing the visibility of their published work
- Retaining rights over later uses of the work
- Complying with open access requirements established by funding agencies
- Publishing their work in places (journals, conferences, etc.) that will lead to progress in their careers
- Reducing the costs associated with publication
When making these decisions, authors must be aware about the benefits of opting for Open Access publishing. In addition to this, authors should know as much as possible about the different Open Access models that exist. This allows them to make informed decisions about where they should publish their work.
This section of the guide is for people who are considering publishing their work in open access mediums.
SPARC
SPARC stands for Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition. This organization promotes Open Access models for scientific research and education. Click on the logo above or on the organization’s name to visit their website and find out more.
Why Open Research?
The website Why Open Research? provides information to researchers about the benefits of Open Access publishing. It also discusses issues that investigators should consider when deciding where to publish.
The following quote is from the “About” section of the website:
"Many researchers support the idea of increasing access to research, but worry about the implications for their career of sharing their work. We built this site primarily for researchers, to educate them about all the different ways they can be open and how sharing can be beneficial for their careers."
Author Rights and Amendments to Publication Agreements Using Author Addendums
When publishing a work, you should be completely aware of which rights you are yielding and which ones you are retaining. The resources below provide information about this topic.
Retaining Rights (MIT Libraries)
If you want to modify a publishing agreement in order to retain rights, you may do so through an addendum. At UPRM, we have created an author addendum for members of our academic community. That document is available in English and Spanish. To access it, visit the final section of this guide, titled "UPRM Author Addendum for Amendment of Publication Agreements".
Below are links to addendum models prepared by SPARC and MIT.
How to Find a Suitable Open Access Journal
Below we have included an image created by Erin C. McKiernan, a distinguished researcher and advocate for Open Access. The image is from the website Why Open Research?, and it presents some factors that authors should consider when deciding where to publish. For more information, go directly to the website by clicking here.
Resources for Authors
How Open Is It? A Guide for Evaluating the Openness of Journals
This resource is excellent for authors who are looking to maximize access to their published works. To access the guide in PDF format, click here.
This tool provides information about the open access policies of different academic journals and publishers. For example, you can use Sherpa Romeo to find out if a journal where you published or would like to publish in allows you to upload a copy of your article to Scholar@UPRM, our campus institutional repository, and if it is necessary to apply an embargo to the article. Being aware of this information allows you to maximize dissemination of your work.
For a short slide presentation on how to use Sherpa Romeo, click here.
Many government agencies and private institutions that provide funds for research require that the results obtained in the projects they support be made open to the public. Researchers who receive funds from these entities must make sure to comply with these requirements. Sherpa Juliet helps you find out what are the policies and requirements of different funding organizations in terms of access to data and published articles.