[Adopted 5 February 2003] --- See also OSI Handbook:
http://www.eprints.org/documentation/handbook/departments.php
1. It is our policy to maximise the visibility, usage and impact of
our research output by maximising online access to it for all
would-be users and researchers
worldwide.
1a. It is also
our policy to minimise the effort that each of us has to expend in order to
provide open online access to our research output:
http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/10688/
1b. With all our research
output accessible online we will be able to respond to the research
assessment and other administrative initiatives with minimal input
and effort from individual staff.
2. We have
accordingly adopted the policy that all research output is to be
self-archived in the departmental EPrint Archive before and after
peer-reviewed publication. This archive forms the official record of
the Department's research publications; all publication lists
required for administration or promotion will be generated from
this source.
3. Our policy is compatible with publishers'
copyright agreements as
follows:
3a. The copyright
for the unrefereed preprint resides entirely with the author before
it is submitted for peer-reviewed publication, hence it can be
self-archived irrespective of the copyright policy of the journal to
which it is eventually
submitted.
3b. The
copyright for the peer-reviewed postprint will depend on the wording
of the copyright agreement which the author signs with the
publisher.
3c. Many
publishers will allow the peer-reviewed postprint to be
self-archived. The copyright transfer agreement will either specify
this right explicitly or the author can inquire about it directly.
If you are uncertain about the terms of your agreement, a directory
of journal self-archiving policies --
http://romeo.eprints.org --
is available to guide you. Wherever possible, you are advised to
modify your copyright agreement so that it does not disallow
self-archiving.
3d. In the
rare case where you have signed a very restrictive copyright
transfer form in which you have agreed explicitly not to
self-archive the peer-reviewed postprint, you are encouraged to
self-archive, alongside your already-archived preprint, a
"corrigenda" file, listing the substantive changes the user would
need to make in order to turn the unrefereed preprint into the
refereed postprint.
3e.
Copyright agreements may state that eprints can be archived on your
personal homepage. As far as publishers are concerned, the EPrint
Archive is a part of the Department's infrastructure for your
personal homepage.
4. We do not require you to
archive the full text of books or research monographs. It is
sufficient to archive the references along with the usual
metadata.
5. Some journals still maintain submission policies
which state that a preprint will not be considered for publication
if it has been previously 'publicised' by making it accessible
online. Unlike copyright transfer agreements, such policies are not
a matter of law. If you have concerns about submitting an archived
paper to a journal which still maintains such a restrictive
submission policy, please discuss it with the Department's IPR and
Copyright Advisor.
