Making articles open access in the Research Repository
Self-archiving and how to ensure your work is open access
At Essex, self-archiving remains central for achieving open access. This is especially important when the final published version of a journal article remains behind a paywall.
The accepted version (AAM) of all articles not published open access by the journal should be deposited via the Research Information System (RIS). This feeds into the Research Repository, ensuring outputs are openly available and both REF and funder compliant.
For REF and funder compliance:
- the AAM needs to be deposited within three months of publication. We recommend depositing on acceptance.
- metadata alone is not sufficient - the manuscript itself must be uploaded
Important reminders about depositing an AAM
The Library team does not automatically know when a paper has been accepted. Authors remain responsible for deposit, and should:
- deposit as soon as possible after acceptance
- not rely on co-authors at other institutions to deposit for you
- ensure files are web accessible and suitable for public release by:
- removing tracked changes, comments, and reviewer correspondence
- adding a coversheet, if the manuscript is anonymised
- uploading in PDF format where possible
Why metadata matters
Providing complete metadata improves discoverability and reporting. Where possible, you should include:
- all author names (in the correct order)
- journal title
- acceptance date
- publication date (if known)
How our Author Rights Retention Policy helps
Under the Author Rights Retention Policy, Essex authors retain rights to their AAMs, and can make these openly available with a CC BY licence via the Repository. This means even if the published version is behind a paywall, the AAM can still be shared openly through the Repository, avoiding embargo periods, and enabling both REF and funder compliance.
Further details about the Author Rights Retention Policy are available via the Library website.
Where to find help
Find further guidance on the Library Open Access Publishing page or in the Deposit guide in the RIS (Guidance > Help Guide > How to deposit…). If you have any questions, please contact oapublish@essex.ac.uk.
