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How does the Research Outputs Repository (ROR) promote Open Access?

The UniSA Open Access Policy requires UniSA researchers to submit their accepted manuscripts to be archived in the UniSA Research Outputs Repository, where they may be made available open access depending on publisher policies.

Many traditional publishing models require authors to sign over copyright in their research articles and publishers vary greatly in what they allow an institutional repository to provide access to.

Publishers may let an author add to the repository:

  • an accepted manuscript (draft after peer review) or a pre-print (draft before peer review), but not the published version;
  • the published version after an embargo period; or
  • nothing at all.

Some publishers now allow accepted manuscripts to be deposited into repositories without embargo. A list of these publishers is compiled by Stuart Taylor and can be viewed here.

Tip: Keep all versions of your publications. Library staff will advise if the version supplied cannot be loaded due to publisher conditions.

What about copyright?

The Library checks the copyright conditions for every output as it is processed into the UniSA Research Outputs Repository. Publisher conditions are not static. The accepted manuscript will only be made publicly available once any publisher embargoes have expired.

See the Copyright Guidelines for what you need to consider before you publish your research.

Examples of accepted manuscripts

An accepted manuscript is the final manuscript version of the output. It includes any corrections made as a result of peer review but no copy editing or formatting contributed by the publisher. It may also be referred to as the Author Accepted Manuscript or the Accepted Article.

Examples of accepted manuscripts include:

Some publishers make accepted manuscripts available on their website. These will usually be marked with 'Accepted manuscript' on all pages, and include how to cite this version. Here's an example from Wiley:

Wiley accepted manuscript information

Due to publisher conditions, some accepted manuscripts may require password access with your UniSA login. Once any embargo conditions have expired, the accepted manuscript will be made publicly available.

Submitting accepted manuscripts to ROR

Within one month of acceptance of publication, add the citation details and upload the accepted manuscript using the Appian submission form. If the citation details have already been processed into the Repository, you can just send the accepted manuscript to DiscoveryServices@unisa.edu.au.

Once the output has been formally published, the Library will add a link to the published version through the Repository wherever possible.

If the publication is a gold open access publication, the accepted manuscript is not required. The Library can make the published version publicly available immediately in the Repository.

Affiliation

All UniSA staff and students are required to by-line the University of South Australia as their primary affiliation. It is important that all research outputs are correctly by-lined and unabbreviated to avoid confusion with other institutions. For example, UniSA is an acronym used by the University of South Africa. For more information see the Research quick guide: Author Affiliations on Research Outputs Guidelines.