Elevate

Traditional Publishing

Authors will be required to sign a Copyright Transfer Agreement (also referred to as Copyright Assignment Agreement) with the journal. For the process to move forward,  journals/publishers may require the author(s) to transfer all or some of your copyright to the work. Example: Wiley

Keep in mind:

If you transfer all of the copyright and retain no rights, you may no longer be able to

• Reuse your work. 
• Distribute your work online and with your students.
• Deposit the work in Elevate. 

Best Practices

Be cautious of predatory publishers that do not allow you to retain any rights. Review the publisher’s website to determine what rights you are granting them and what rights you retain.

1. Review copyright provisions before signing any contracts with publishers.
2. Consider licensing your work using a Creative Commons License instead of transferring copyright.
3. Retain a copy of the Copyright Transfer Agreement.
4. Retain a copy of the Post-print manuscript.

Resources

• Reviewing Publisher Agreements Checklist
• SPARC Addendum to Publication Agreement
• Sherpa Romeo: An online website with aggregated information about thousands of publishers' policies. The Sherpa/Romeo website provides comprehensive breakdowns of publication information, publisher policy, and record information. 
  • Example: Journal of the American Medical Association

Open Access Publishing

Authors will retain their copyright without stipulations from the journal. The work will be fully accessible to the public without a “paywall.” The author may choose to submit a Creative Commons license for their work to the publisher. In addition, open-access journals may assign a CC license to your work.

Resources

• Creative Commons License Chooser
• Types of Open Access LibGuide by Georgian State University Library

RVU Elevate

Elevate is committed to Green Open Access whenever possible and provides access without barriers. Authors must own the copyright (and have been granted permission by rights holders) for the work they are depositing into the Institutional Repository. This includes any materials that are contained within the body of the work (e.g., images). Authors grant the Frank Ritchel Ames Memorial Library a non-exclusive perpetual license to distribute and preserve digital assets (i.e., deposited materials) for non-commercial use. 

Authors are not transferring any copyright privileges to the Library or RVU. Authors retain all copyright to their works and can reuse/distribute the work however they see fit.

Submitted

Original manuscript that was submitted to the publisher and has not undergone formal peer review. 

Synonyms: Authors' Original Manuscript, Author's Original, Submitted Version, Pre-Print

Accepted

The final version of the manuscript has undergone formal peer review. Post-print manuscripts have not been typeset or branded by the journal. The vast majority of publishers will only allow authors to deposit the Post-print into an Institutional Repository.

Synonyms: Author's Accepted Manuscript, Accepted Manuscript, Accepted Version

Published

The final version of the manuscript that is published in the journal. 

Synonyms: Published Version, Publisher's PDF, Version of Record, Official Version