Frequently asked questions

Adding papers to Plymouth Marine Science Electronic Archive (PlyMSEA)

Q1. Why should I put my refereed papers in PlyMSEA?
Q2. How easy is it for me to add papers?
Q3. What can I upload? Can I upload the published file?
Q4. What can I do if I don't have time to add papers myself?
Q5. My article has been accepted for publication but has not appeared in print yet - can I upload it?
Q6. Who can I contact for help?
Q7. What does my research funder say about open access?

Copyright / Negotiating with publishers

Q1. If I put my refereed paper in the repository, will I be breaking copyright?
Q2. How can I check who owns the copyright on my research paper?

Q3. What should academics do if their publisher won't allow them to retain copyright, or to self-archive?

Q4. Which publishers allow authors to self-archive?
Q5. What can I do to retain rights over my own work?

Q6. I don't have a copy of my paper, can I scan it from the printed journal?

Finding self-archived research articles

Q1. Who can access the articles in PlyMSEA?
Q2. How will people find my article?

Q3. What's the relationship between my personal web site and the papers in PlyMSEA?

Q4. Can I download records from PlyMSEA?

Preservation and Security

Q1. Will my articles be available permanently in this repository?
Q2. Is this a secure service?

Open Access: Context

Q1. Where can I find out more about Open Access?


Adding papers to PlyMSEA

Q1. Why should I put my refereed papers on the repository?

By making your papers available you can:

Depositing your research is easy and there is no charge to you or to the end users.

The Open Access movement is gaining momentum internationally and there is increasing evidence that papers available on open access are cited more than ones that are only available through subscription services.

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Q2. How easy is it for me to add papers to the repository?

See How to add Research.

Please note, your article does not go "live" until is has been submitted to the repository's "buffer" where it will be viewed, amended if necessary (e.g. if any typing errors are spotted) and uploaded to the repository.

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Q3. What can I upload to the repository? Can I upload the published file?

PlyMSEA is interested in accommodating any research outputs which are useful for your discipline. The repository holds book chapters, working papers, reports and conference papers. If you have questions about depositing a specific output, please contact PlyMSEA staff

Items must have one or more PlyMSEA author (but may have been produced whilst working elsewhere).

Items must not breach copyright (see the section on Copyright and publishers and our additional detailed information on copyright). Please note, even if you have signed your copyright away to a journal publisher, there is a very good chance you will be able to add your work to PlyMSEA. As the author, you often retain the rights you need to add your work - or will be granted them on application.

File versions

Please note, if you deposit the formatted version of your article as produced by the publisher, we may not be able to use this; ideally deposit your final post-peer-review draft, prior to publisher formatting. If in doubt, please contact PlyMSEA staff.

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Q4. What can I do if I don't have time to add papers to the repository myself?

Perhaps you have some administrative support in your department who could upload your files on your behalf? We're always happy to hear from new depositors and administrators and will provide advice and support to get you up and running. Please contact PlyMSEA staff

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Q5. My article has been accepted for publication but has not appeared in print yet – can I upload it?

Yes, so long as your publisher agrees. The RoMEO database of publisher copyright agreements may help answer this question. Otherwise, look at any licence you have signed with your publisher. When you upload your paper to PlyMSEA, in the "Status" field, please indicate that the paper is "In Press". If you have uploaded the paper yourself, once your paper has been published, it is possible to add a new version of the relevant record to show that your article is now published (and add any further details such as pagination). However, if the article was uploaded on your behalf by a system administrator, please email the details of any change in status to PlyMSEA staff

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Q6. Who can I contact for help?

For help on any aspect of the repository, please contact PlyMSEA staff

Q7. What does my research funder say about open access?

Several research funders - including all but one of the UK Research Councils - have made open access deposit of research outputs a condition of funding. Researchers are adopting this proactive stance to ensure that their funded research is as widely disseminated as possible. A service summarising publisher policies - JULIET - can be found here.


Copyright and publisher

Q1. If I put my article on the repository, will I be breaking copyright?

The answer to this question depends on the licence agreement you signed when you published your paper: this may have been a copyright transfer agreement or an exclusive or non-exclusive licence. Many publishers allow authors to post a copy of their article to an institutional repository without the need to ask for special permission. Sometimes it is possible to use the publisher's formatted version (often a PDF file); more commonly, the author may post his/her own final draft of the article.

Q2. How can I check who owns the copyright on my refereed paper?

We have more detailed information about Copyright available to assist you.

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Q3. What should academics do if their publisher won't allow them to retain copyright, or to self-archive?

It is often possible to archive even if copyright has been assigned to the publisher.

There are a small number of publishers who refuse self-archiving rights for their authors; in this case, there may be little that can be done other than to alert the publisher to the fact that many other publishers consider self-archiving rights a courtesy to authors. Be aware also that your research funder may have an open access position requiring open access deposit; if you are funded by the Wellcome Trust, it is required that you publish in an open access compliant publication.

Q4. Which publishers allow authors to self-archive?

The RoMEO database has a listing of publishers with links to their copyright policies and indications of their policies on author self-archiving of pre-prints and/or post-prints. RoMEO is a good place to start - though not 100% comprehensive in its coverage of journal publishers. Note also that the situation regarding publisher policies can change.

Q5. What can I do to retain rights over my own work?

The rights you retain depend on the nature of the licence you sign with your publisher. Publishers sometimes have more than one type of licence; it's worth discussing your requirements if you are unhappy with the standard publishing terms and conditions.

Advice for authors and sample licences are available from the JISC/SURF Copyright Toolbox

Q6. I don't have a copy of my paper, can I scan it from the printed journal?

You will need to ensure that any self-archiving permission from your publisher allows you to scan the work. If in doubt, check with the publisher direct. Unfortunately, there are no resources to support scanning of materials for submission to the PlyMSEA repository.

Q7. What does my funder say about open access?

A detailed listing, including funders' policies on the open deposit of data resulting from their grant funding, is available through the JULIET service.

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Finding self-archived research articles

Q1. Who can access the articles on the repository?

Anyone with access to the internet; there are no other restrictions.

Q2. How will people find my article?

There are a number of potential routes:

Q3. What’s the relationship between my personal web site and the papers on the repository?

You may wish to add a link to the full text of your article from your own or departmental web page(s). If you already have links to full-text articles from your own web page, you may wish to upload the papers to the repository instead. Some of the advantages in doing this are:

Q4. Can I download records from the repository?

The repository offers various export options including plain ASCII and export compatible with BibTeX and EndNote formats.
NB: export is not offered from any of the "Browse" views in the repository. To export, create a search using the "Advanced Search" option; export options are listed towards the top of the screen.

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Preservation & Security

Q1. Will my articles be available permanently on this repository?

The long term aim of the repository is to address digital preservation to ensure permanent access to all hosted papers. At the moment, the three institutions guarantee access for a minimum of 10 years.

Q2. Is this a secure service?

Normal security provisions are in place. The repository is backed up a minimum of once every week.

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Open Access: Context

Q1. Where can I find out more about Open Access?

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