Research Guides: Scholarly Publishing Guide: Author's Rights: How Can You Share and Reuse Your Work?

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Subjects: OER: Open (or Free) Educational Materials, Scholarly Communication

What Can I Do with My Article After Publication?

Depending on exactly what publisher you work with, and what sort of author contract you sign, you may retain OR give up the rights to do certain things with your article, such as:

Reprint it in another journal;
Republish it as a book chapter;
Archive the pre-print, post-print, and/or published version(s) of the article in an online repository;
Distribute printed copies of the article;
Or other types of content reuse or redistribution.

Before you consider taking action with a published article, be sure you find out what rights you have retained or signed over to the publisher. Reading your copyright agreement or publication contract is a good place to start.

The resources on this page will help you identify what actions you can or cannot take with your article after publication.

If you have not published YET, you may want to review the resources in this guide for Negotiating Publishing Contracts.

Jisc Open Policy Finder (formerly Sherpa Romeo / Sherpa Juliet) "Searchable database of publisher's policies regarding the self- archiving of journal articles on the web and in Open Access repositories. Each entry provides a summary of the publisher's policy, including what version of an article can be deposited, where it can be deposited, and any conditions that are attached to that deposit."
How Can I Share It? "How Can I Share It can help you get the most out of scholarly sharing. Find relevant information and practical tools to ensure your articles can be shared with your colleagues quickly and easily." Learn more about the background of this site's development.
An Introduction to Copyright Resources for Authors: Practical Guidance when Submitting Journal Articles

Understanding Manuscript Versions

Publishers often make distinctions between three primary versions of a manuscript when detailing archive/deposit rights retained by authors:

Pre-print – Draft submitted to journal before peer review.

Post-print – Last revised draft submitted to journal after peer review and revisions.

Publishers version/PDF – Final, formatted PDF on the publishers website.

Each journal is different, and authors need to be aware of what they can do. The copyright transfer agreement is the best place to find this information. Otherwise, consult a resource like the Sherpa Romeo database. The library can assist you in identifying journal policy.