SRUC recommends Green Open Access and supports our staff in making their research outputs available this way.
This is SRUC's preferred route because:
In recommending green open access, SRUC is in line with many top institutions such as: 'The University of Edinburgh', 'The University of Cambridge' and 'The University of Oxford' (links below).
To allow you to follow the green route and self-archive a copy of your paper, we have the 'SRUC Repository' (link below) which is an online collection of research publications produced by our staff. It showcases and preserves our research output, making it freely and easily accessible wherever possible.
You can find further information about it on the SRUC website (link below).
To add your work to the 'SRUC Repository' (link below), you must complete the submission form on the intranet with the details of publication and a copy of the accepted manuscript at the point of acceptance. A record will be created in the SRUC Internal Publications Database and on the SRUC Repository with the bibliographic details. We will check all the necessary copyright policies and make the full text of the paper available on this record in the SRUC Repository after any publisher embargo period expires. Full instructions can be found in our 'How to deposit' guide (link below).
Pre-print, accepted manuscript, publisher's copy - this is just some of the terminology used to describe the different versions of journals articles during the stages of the publishing process. Unfortunately there are no universally agreed terms or definitions but those in common use are:
Pre-print – this is the pre-refereed and unpublished version of the paper that has been submitted for publication and has not yet been peer-reviewed.
Accepted Manuscript – otherwise known as Post-print, Author’s Final Version, Author Accepted Manuscript – this is the author’s version of the manuscript that has been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication. It incorporates any changes or corrections required and has been revised by the author.
Publisher’s version – otherwise known as Publisher PDF, Version of Record, Published Journal Article – this is the final version of the article as it appears in the journal, incorporating any copy editing, layout and typesetting done by the publisher.
It is recommended that you create and keep your own copies of these different versions of your research.
This diagram from HEFCE illustrates the differences between the versions. Clicking on it will open a larger image.
If you want to publish your paper using the Gold open access route, you, as the author, are required to pay an additional charge to the publisher. This is called an Article Processing Charge or APC.
SRUC does not currently have a general fund for the payment of APCs and it is the institutional preference for authors to take the Green Open Access route which requires no payment. However, we are in receipt of a RCUK OA Block Grant to support Gold Open Access for RCUK-funded authors. See 
'RCUKFunding' for full details.
On average, publishers charge between £1500 and £2000 for an APC but prices can range from low-cost to significant sums such as £5000.
Libraries across the UK are working hard with publishers to try to secure favourable APC deals for their institutions. In particular, libraries are looking at the issue of the total cost of ownership of subscriptions – currently the library may be paying for the subscription and authors paying again for their articles to be submitted as Gold open access, which is in effect paying the publisher twice.
Below are details about a number of schemes that are already available to SRUC authors.
This information will be expanded as schemes change and more publishers are added so please check regularly.
SRUC is participating in an open access agreement with Springer which allows SRUC corresponding authors to publish gold open access in subscription journals that offer the Open Choice option. It covers all Article Processing Charges (APCs) for articles in most Springer Open Choice (hybrid) journals.
There is no payment at the point of submission as it is included in the journal package subscription paid by the Library.
When any article is submitted, Springer will automatically contact the SRUC institutional representative to verify author affiliation and then proceed with Gold publication.
A list of eligible titles and information about the open access agreement can be found at the 'Open Access Agreement for UK Authors' pages on Springer (link below):
Through the licence negotiated by the Scottish Higher Education Digital Library (SHEDL), SRUC authors are entitled to discounted APCs of £200 from the 'SAGE Choice' scheme.
Authors must quote the code SHEDL2016 on the SAGE Choice publishing agreement (in the University/Institution Account Code field) you are sent on acceptance of your article. Authors should then return the SAGE Choice Invoice Template to the relevant email address at SAGE as instructed on the form. The discount cannot be applied retrospectively.
RCUK funded authors are entitled to apply to the SRUC RCUK Open Access Block Grant for funds to cover the cost of gold open access publication. Full details and information on how to apply can be found at 'RCUKFunding'.
Email openaccess@sruc.ac.uk with enquiries on making your papers OA, the REF OA requirements, the SRUC Repository or for further information on OA in general.
