Publish or deposit at no cost

There are many ways authors can publish or deposit their research at no cost. This webpage outlines options for University of Minnesota researchers.

Follow publisher rules

Many publishers have standing policies that allow authors to share some version of their article online, though sometimes with conditions or restrictions. 

Check your publisher's policy before you deposit a copy in a repository such as the Library’s University Digital Conservancy or other preprint servers.

To follow publisher rules, understanding the version, sharing location, and embargos is often necessary.

As papers move through the publishing process, at least three different versions will exist: 

  • Published: The pdf as it appears on the journal’s website.
  • Accepted (or post-print): This includes the edits made after submission but without publisher formatting.
  • Submitted (or pre-print): The version you submitted. 

Many different types of archives and repositories exist that can host and share scholarly work. These include:

Note that academic social networks like ResearchGate and Academia.edu are commercially owned, and sharing on these sites is not allowed by most publishers.

Publishers may also require time-delays (“embargoes”) when sharing. Sometimes they have different embargoes for different versions of the article, or for different sharing venues. For example, a journal may allow authors to share their accepted manuscript on a personal website immediately, but delay any other sharing of the author-accepted manuscript until 12 months after the final version is published. 

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Select a no fee OA journals

Some fully open journals do not charge author fees. The University Libraries hosts several all-open, no-fee journals. 

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) contains information about more than 20,000 fully OA journals. You can search DOAJ to find journals by subject area and filter to see only journals that do not charge a fee—more than half of journals do not!  

The Libraries participates in collective action models in which any author, regardless of their institutional affiliation, can publish at no cost. Publishers using this model include:

  • Amsterdam University Press
  • Annual Reviews
  • BioOne
  • Berghahn Journals
  • Canadian Science Publishing
  • EDP Sciences
  • EMS Press
  • IWA Publishing
  • MSP- Mathematical Sciences Publishers
  • Pluto Journals

Note that some publishers have fully open access journals that are not included under this type of model. Also, some journals require additional fees such as page charges. Always check the journal's policies before you submit your manuscript.

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Learn about the Open Access Policy

The UMN Open Access to Scholarly Articles policy enables another path to sharing research articles produced after January 1, 2015. This policy grants the University a limited right to share articles for the purposes of open access. 

If an author has not waived application of the policy, they can choose to rely on the policy to make their eligible articles available through the University (usually in the University Digital Conservancy). However, this policy can be in conflict with publisher policies, so authors may wish to consult with the Libraries at [email protected] before relying on this option.

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Negotiate with publishers

Publishers' policies about sharing can be complicated, and may not address all the ways an author might want to reuse their work. If you want clarity and certainty about how you can reuse and share your work, you can negotiate with your publisher to retain some of your rights under copyright law. You can do this by adding an addendum to manage your rights. Sample addenda are available through the following organizations:

For more in-depth information about your rights, using the addenda, and negotiation, review the Libraries’ page on “Owning and managing academic rights.” 

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Limit access to your manuscript

The strategies on this page outline methods to make your work open without fees. Traditional publishing also requires no fees, but limits access to your manuscript. Some open access options involve paying a fee (“article processing charge” or APC). Some fully OA journals require APCs for every article. “Hybrid” OA journal fees are optional—that is, an article is only open if the fee is paid. 

In alignment with our stated values around open access, the Libraries believes that the options on this page are preferable to paying hybrid APCs. 

While the University currently supports a few agreements for reduced author publishing fees, the Libraries does not pay individual publication fees for authors. Instead, we support efforts that enable a shift towards a more sustainable and equitable system of scholarly communication. You can read more about the Libraries’ support for the future of open access publishing.

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Contact

Contact an open access expert at [email protected] for more information.

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