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Learn how to share published works, such as journal articles, legally

A logical follow-up to research is publishing the results in order to share the findings with the rest of the world. It may simply increase the knowledge base, or it may provide a building block to another’s research; it may also change practice/behavior. Additionally, the reputation of scientists and scholars is often recognized, among other things, by their impact or influence in their field. That, in turn, is represented by citation counts and other metrics that are related to others’ ability to access the publications.

Publications that are more widely and freely available, such as those published in open-access journals, have been shown to have a citation advantage. SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) Europe provides some insight to the development of this phenomenon here.

Open-access publications flip the script of the traditional publishing model and are freely available to the reader. There are open-access journals that do not charge any publication fees and allow authors to retain their copyright (including reproduction and distribution rights), though this is extremely rare in scientific fields. Other open-access journals charge a fee that is paid by the author, the affiliated institution or the funding agency. In addition, there are hybrid journals that provide the choice of either the paid open-access model or the traditional model, where the journal publisher retains the rights.

With all of this in mind, many researchers ask questions such as “Can’t I just share my published article on my website or institutional repository after it’s published? After all, even when the potential readers may have a subscription or be affiliated with a library that provides access, it is easier to read something that is one click away, rather than seventeen clicks.”

Authors must keep in mind that, unless published on an open-access platform, the sharing of scholarly works still must comply with the legally binding agreement between the author(s) and the publishing entity, whether that is a commercial publisher an academic institution or a professional organization.

Some funding bodies require free public access to publications resulting from funded research. Almost all publishers now have policies and procedures in place to accommodate author compliance with public access requirements set by funding bodies. A link to the digital repositories where these publications are archived is an ideal way to share one’s work. Some publishers allow authors to deposit manuscripts on their personal websites or an institutional/subject/discipline repository such as Penn State’s ScholarSphere. Others share their publications via social networking sites like ResearchGate and Academia.edu where permitted; researchers should note that some of the rules on these platforms have changed recently. Determinations for sharing may be dependent on the publisher of a given journal. Though covered by fair-use principles under certain circumstances, distributing copies of published works by email should be avoided unless permission is clearly documented.

How Can I Share It? is a website that provides links to many publishers’ policies on sharing and serves as a good resource to be consulted both before sharing and before signing copyright agreements prior to submitting manuscripts for publication. Policies governing a specific article can also be accessed by simply supplying the publication’s DOI (digital object identifier) if available. It is important to note that, even with permission, there may be restrictions on the version (preprint vs. postprint) and the format (PDF vs. Microsoft Word document) of the manuscript that can be shared, and possibly a requirement to include a link pointing back to the article at the “official” journal website. In short, not only is the process complex, policies are also constantly changing. It is also possible that an earlier copyright agreement be superseded as publisher policies evolve.

Unless publishing in an open-access journal, authors should always review sharing and/or re-use permissions before signing the copyright agreement. If the provisions are not satisfactory, negotiations should be made for an amendment so that author(s) may “retain the non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free right to use the content for scholarly and educational purposes, including self-archiving or depositing in institutional, subject-based, national or other open repositories or archives, and to comply with all funding or institutional requirements associated with the content.” This is modified from model language endorsed by the Association for Research Libraries’ Board. Authors should also include any additional provisions that are necessary for each individual.

Those with questions about sharing and reuse of published content should contact the Harrell Health Sciences Library’s Esther Dell at 717-531-8633 or eyd1@psu.edu. Dell can also provide assistance reviewing copyright agreements prior to submitting a manuscript.

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