Selfarchiving

Self-archiving is the practice of authors depositing a copy of their scholarly work in publicly accessible repositories, on personal or departmental websites, or in disciplinary archives to provide open access beyond paywalled publisher sites. It commonly involves copies such as a preprint (the version before peer review), a postprint or author accepted manuscript (the version after peer review but before final publisher formatting), or, less often, the publisher’s final PDF, depending on policy.

Publisher policies regulate what can be self-archived and when. Many publishers permit depositing preprints or postprints but restrict the final PDF, and some impose embargo periods before the work may be made publicly available. Researchers can consult policy databases such as SHERPA/RoMEO or review the publishing agreement to determine permitted versions and embargo lengths.

Where to deposit, and how to manage content, are practical considerations. Common venues include institutional repositories, subject repositories (for example arXiv in physics and mathematics, bioRxiv in biology, Zenodo, HAL), and personal or lab websites. Deposits should include complete bibliographic metadata, a license indicating reuse rights (ideally an open license such as CC BY), and a stable link to the publisher version if applicable. Maintaining version notes and connecting the repository record to the final publication can help readers locate the authoritative version.

Benefits of self-archiving include increased accessibility, wider dissemination, and potential citation gains, along with compliance with funder or institutional OA mandates. Challenges include navigating copyright restrictions, managing embargoes, and ensuring accurate versioning and long-term preservation.