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Open Access

Frequently Asked Questions - December 2021 Update

Which version should I deposit?
The author's final peer reviewed version should be deposited. When a Version of Record can be deposited, it’s when there is a Transformative Agreement in place or if an APC has been paid. Most publishers do not allow the final published version to be uploaded into a repository. To check this use Sherpa Romeo.

Will an article deposited under Green OA be immediately available to download in full-text? 
This depends on the publisher’s Green OA policies for the journal, but it is common for publishers to impose embargoes between 6 and 24 months. Once the embargo has ended, the document will be available to download in full-text.

Are there any discounts available for Gold Open Access?
No but it is not unheard of for 'society journals' to provide discounts for their members.

Do all journals offer a Gold OA option?
Some but not all. Established journals offer a Gold alternative for a fee and some journals are open access based on the payment of an APC (for example PNAS). There are a few new journals that operate as exclusively Open Access e.g. PLoS (Public Library of Science).

I already use SSRN to deposit papers – so aren’t I “compliant” already? 
If you deposit pre-prints (Working Papers) in SSRN, then these won’t comply with HEFCE’s post-2014 REF Open Access policy.

Can I deposit books and book chapters?
Books and chapters are metadata only (unless you are a grant holder). If a book processing charge (BPC) has been paid or there is a Creative Commons License, there is potential for a deposit to be made.

My paper is Gold OA. What Creative Commons License shall I decide on?
If the paper is in acknowledgement of a research grant (or there is a data management plan) please check your open access agreement as the Creative Commons License will be set (CC-BY). If the paper is Gold OA (whether it be by TA or APC) and is not in receipt of funding then the choice is yours.

The journal website has no mention of open access and it is not on Sherpa/Romeo – What do I do?
It’s likely that the journal is a society journal or bridge journal that has a more ‘agnostic’ approach compared to ‘big name’ academic publishers. The REF open access policy has an Exception accounting for this scenario and email openaccess@london.edu if your paper fits in this scenario and is subject to research funding.

Transformative Agreements – My name is on a paper, why isn’t it open access?
Publishers providing TA’s have elevated the role of the Corresponding Author (who needs to belong to an institution that has signed up to a TA). If a rule like this was not in place, an author (at an institution with a TA) could strategically be added to a research team even though the sole reason of their inclusion is to ensure open access benefits.

Transformative Agreements – How will the publisher know that I belong to London Business School?
The role of the ‘submitter’ via the publisher platform is key. There is guidance in the RFO pages in Portal but when doing the admin, please make sure the affiliation of London Business School is not merged with society/think-tank and make sure your london.edu email address is used.

I have Research Data, can I create a repository record for it?
Yes. We are even able to create DOIs so the record is permanently curated. Please be mindful of whether you are in a position to make the data ‘open access’ if supplied via a vendor.

I am a PhD student, can I use the institutional repository?
Yes. We are even able to create DOIs and look after your Job Market Papers.

My paper is ‘Accepted’ but there is a repository record. Please take it off?
This is down to the REF open access policy and making sure compliance is met. When applicable, email openaccess@london.edu and we will resolve."

I already have a ResearcherID. Why bother with an ORCID?"
ORCIDs are the most commonly accepted identifier for researchers. In fact most journals or funders mandate the use of one. Other researcher identifiers have been elevated because of internal administrative processes.

Jargon Busting 'Open Access'

We understand that all of the jargon surrounding open access can be confusing. For that reason we have compiled the following collection. For any additions, please email openaccess@london.edu

Accessible In open access terms, means not behind a paywall and able to download and search the pdf or document immediately upon finding it
Acceptance Date The formal date received from an Editor about an article being accepted for publication. Not to be confused with 'conditional acceptance'
Act on Acceptance' Once formal acceptance (via publisher) received, to email openaccess@london.edu
Article Processing Charge (APC) A charge publishers ask for, so a paper will be freely available for download via their publisher page
Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) The version of the work that was accepted for publication and gone through peer review process
Book Processing Charge (BPC) A charge publishers ask for, so a book or book chapter will be freely available for download via their publisher page
CC-BY A Creative Commons licence that allows others to modify, develop and/or distribute the licensed work (including for commercial purposes) as long as the original author is credited
CC-BY-NC As above but restricted so you may not use the material for commercial purposes
CC-BY-NC-ND As above but also restricted so if you remix, transform or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material
Creative Commons Refers to scenario where copyright owner allows anyone to use their copyrighted work  in a manner consistent with the license. Different licenses are detailed in Creative Commons' website
Data Access Statement As there can be a requirement to make data open access, a data access statement is a short statement that gives readers a link to the data and/or detailing any restrictions if applicable
Deposit The manuscript/file containing the 'research' being held within a repository. Deposit date is the date in which this act has occurred.
Digital Opject Identifier (DOI) A unique digital identifier primarily assigned to a research output. Registered DOIs will have a permanent link and registered metadata.
Discoverable The ability to find an article. In terms of open access, this refers to outputs that are more findable and downloadable via search engines
Embargo A period of time (assigned by publisher) where repository deposits are restricted. In this scenario, open access occurs after embarbo period has expired
ePrints The name of the institutional repository software
Exception Alludes to REF compliance processes. An Exception is when there is a justifiable reason why compliance to the REF open access mandate was not 'fully' ahdered to
First Publication Date Typically, the online publication date for a journal article that is accompanied by a DOI. Administrators are likely to prioritise this date ahead of Print Publication Date
Gold Open Access Immediate and downloadable access to an article in a subscription journal. Often this requires an APC payment or read-and-publish agreement
Green Open Access The self-archiving of a research output in a subject or institutional repository. Outputs are freely downloadable after an embargo period
Hybrid Journal A subscription journal where some articles are freely available and downloadable (via APC)
Institutional Repository An online collection of open access research publications undertaken by a single institution, such as LBS. Contains both metadata and full text records in a variety of formats
LBSRO London Business School Research Online - What the School institutional repository is named
Open Access Journal A journal where all it's content is free to download. Some of these journals to require payment of an APC by authors
ORCID Open Researcher and Contributor ID - The most popular persistent digital identifier at researcher-level. See http://orcid.org/
Persistent Idendifier (PID) Defined as a long lasting reference to a resource. This can include a publication, dataset, institution or individual. ORCIDs and DOIs are examples of PIDs
Pre-Print The version of the work at point of submission (before peer-review)
Print Publication Date Typically, the more formal publication date that appears with a citation once published in print.
Read-and-Publish An agreement where the publisher receives payment for reading and payment for publishing in a contract
Researcher Excellence Framework (REF) One of the United Kingdom's assessment exercises within Higher Education. The REF focuses on the quality of research.
Researcher ID A researcher identifier used by Web of Science. We recommend using ORCID instead
Ringgold An affiliation identifier used by scholarly publishers
Scopus ID A researcher identifier used by Scopus. We recommend using ORCID instead
Subject Repository A subject orientated, often multi-disciplinary, collection of open access e-publications from multiple institutions, which are free to users
Transformative Agreement (TA) An agreement shifting from subscription-reading to open access publishing. A subscriber's articles will be Gold Open Access (on top of a conventional library subscription).
Transitional Agreement An attempt of a Transformative Agreement where a publisher has more favourable terms compared to a pure transformative agreement.
Version of Record (VoR) The definitive version of the work that appears in the official publication (also known as Publishers PDF)