The University's Self-Archiving Policy came into effect on April 1st 2023.
The policy applies to peer review research articles that are:
- submitted for publication after April 1st 2023, and that are
- accepted for publication in a journal, conference or publishing platform, and that have
- a University of Cambridge author
The policy helps researchers retain the right to apply a Creative Commons licence to their accepted manuscript. They can then make their accepted research articles available in the University’s repository, Apollo on publication.
What do I need to do?
Before submission:
- ensure that your co-authors agree to apply a CC BY licence to the accepted manuscript. You can use a different licence, providing it is in line with funder requirements
- it is advisable to let the published know that you intend to use the policy. You can do this by including a statement in the submission. The statement should say: “For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission”
On acceptance:
- upload your article via Symplectic Elements. It will then be deposited in Apollo. Please tell us if you wish to use a different licence when you upload your manuscript
How do I opt out?
You can email us of your intention to opt out of the policy by emailing info@openaccess.cam.ac.uk. You can also tell us when uploading your accepted manuscript in Symplectic Elements.
You are responsible for telling us that you want to opt out or use an different licence. You need to do this when you are uploading your manuscript.
FAQs
Do I have a choice of licence?
The default policy refers to CC BY but you can select an alternative licence instead. You should choose the licence that best suits your requirements. You do need to ensure that your choice is in line with REF and funder requirements.
How does this policy affect co-authorship with researchers at other institutions?
All authors will need to agree to the licence you select for each paper published. All authors should agree to the open access route before submitting the paper. They should also agree to use the rights retention wording, if needed.
What if a publisher refuses to publish my manuscript?
If a publisher decides to reject a paper then they should do so as soon as possible. This will enable you to submit your paper to another journal. This is why we say that it is prudent to include a rights retention statement in the submission.
It is very unusual for a publisher to reject a paper due to them using rights retention. We know of only two that have adopted this approach.
What if a publisher of a subscription journal asks for an article processing charge (APC)?
Your paper may be eligible to publish through a Read & Publish agreement, in which case you should use this. If not, you should select the subscription route to avoid incurring an APC.
Please upload your accepted manuscript; we will be able to provide funding advice. You can also contact us via info@openaccess.cam.ac.uk.
Some publishers will ask you to pay page and colour fees. These are separate to open access fees and you would need to pay these. We are unable to provide support for these such fees.
What if a publisher of an open access journal asks for an APC?
Please upload your accepted manuscript; we will be able to provide funding advice. You can also contact us via info@openaccess.cam.ac.uk.
Some publishers will ask you to pay page and colour fees. These are separate to open access fees and you would need to pay these. We are unable to provide support for these such fees.
How will I know if a publisher knows about this policy?
We have notified over 200 publishers of the policy. This represents almost 99% of all articles published with a Cambridge corresponding author.
You can access the list of notified publishers [Cambridge users only].
If the journal you are submitting is not in this list, please let us know and we will notify the publisher for you. You can contact us on info@openaccess.cam.ac.uk.
What if a publisher asks me to sign an agreement that conflicts with the policy?
This policy supersedes any downstream licence that a publisher may try to impose. The University will support researchers use this policy.
What if a publisher asks me to remove my article from the repository after publication?
We will consider requests in reference to the Notice and Takedown policy.
What should I do if my article includes third party copyright?
You should make the correct terms clear in your manuscript. For example, you can state the correct terms in the permission line for the material. You can also opt out of the policy if necessary.