University Professors Press (UPP) policies on self-archiving of scholarly works is delineated below. It is important that authors familiarize themselves with these policies. Academic publishers today strive to find different ways to balance accessibility with financial viability. UPP’s primary strategy for accessibility is to keep books accessible through lower prices than many publishers. However, given the lower prices and profit margin, UPP maintains more conservative policies on self-archiving to maintain financial viability and assure that authors/editors are fairly compensated for their work. As UPP invests significant financial and temporal resources in develop quality books at accessible prices, violations of the self-archiving policies hinders our ability to maintain accessible pricing of books.
Note: Please note that the information on this page does not apply to fictional works or poetry books published by University Professors Press.
Terminology
Authors Original Version (AOV): This may also be referred to as the preprint version. AOV refers to the un-refereed or unedited version of the of the chapter originally submitted to the book editors and/or publisher as set out by the author. This version does not include copyedits or minor content edits made after the final submission. The author is fully responsible for the article, its content, and its layout. For AOVs to be shared, the following UPP AOV statement must be included on the title page or a cover page of AOVs of the chapter. Even with this statement, the AOV can only be shared in accordance with the provisions detailed on this page. The UPP AOV statement must utilize the format below:
This is a pre-copy-edited, author-produced version of the chapter “[chapter title]” published in the book [book title] edited by [book editors] published by University Professors Press. The version of record is available in [book title] available at [insert URL to the book’s webpage on the UPP website]. There may be content and editorial differences between this version and the final published version. To quote or cite this chapter, purchase a copy of the book. The author(s) retain full responsibility for this version of the chapter.
Chapter Authors refers to authors who have contributed chapters to an edited book. This does not include chapters from a solo authored book.
Copyedit Version is defined as the version sent to the author(s) with the copyedits for the author’s approval. Copyedit versions are for the author only and, under no circumstances, should be posted to a repository or shared with anyone without permission from UPP.
Embargo Periods refers to a period where chapter authors are not allowed to self-archive any version of their chapter on their own website or institutional repositories or webpages, or other repositories, or share an AOV through sites such as Research Gate.
Solo Authored Books refers to books, and chapters from these books, in which all the chapters, with the exception of a Preface and/or Foreword, were written by the same author or authors.
Version of Record (VOR) is the final typeset version of the chapter that includes the final copyedits, formatting, and typesetting. This includes photocopies or other electronic copies made from the final print or ebook version of the book.
Self-Archiving of Books
University Professors Press does not allow self-archiving of any version of entire books or chapters of solo-authored books published by University Professors Press while they are in print.
Self-Archiving of Book Chapters in Edited Books
UPP has a minimum embargo period of 5-years before self-archiving of any version of a chapter is allowed. Self-archiving should only include AOVs meeting the specifications delineated on this page. Chapters authors are not allowed to self-archive VORs.
After 5-years, chapter authors are allowed to self-archive AOVs on certain limited access sites:
- College or University repositories where the chapter author is employed that are accessible only to students, faculty, staff, and alumni of the university.
- Repositories of nonprofit professional organizations the author is affiliated with that is only accessible to members of the nonprofit organization
Chapter authors must obtain permission from UPP before self-archiving in any other limited access repositories.
After 15-years, chapter authors are allowed to self-archive AOVs on their personal website, open access university repositories, and other similar repositories.
Self-Archiving on Research Gate, Academia.edu, and Academic Social Media Sites
Promoting one’s work on Social Media Sites or Repositories for Academics such as Research Gate and Academia.edu can increase visibility of publications, the number of reads, and the number of citations. UPP encourages the listing of chapters on these sites within the compliance requirements discussed in this section. Chapter authors are encouraged to post basic chapter information including chapter title, book title, book editor, date of publication, pages, and an abstract/brief summary of the chapter. Public access postings of chapters in any format—AOV, Copyedit Version, or VOR—is strictly prohibited within 15-years of publication.
Some sites, such as Research Gate, allow for storing private versions of chapters. Chapter authors are allowed to post AOVs of their chapters on these sites; however, they are not allowed to share the AOVs until after 5-years of publication of the book. After 5-years, an AOV in accordance with UPP’s specifications can be shared on a limited basis for educational or research purposes.
Prior to the embargo period, chapter authors are encouraged to post a private AOV not to be shared or a listing of the abstract and references. As Research Gate shows the references but not the content of the private AOV chapter, this increases the visibility of the chapter and increases the likelihood of the chapter being read or cited. Requests for the AOV or VOR should be refused within the first five years and, instead, individuals requesting copies should be encouraged to purchase a copy of the book, preferably by directing them to the book’s page on the UPP website.
Authors are allowed to create a public document that has chapter title, chapter author(s), an abstract or brief chapter summary, and the references to post on Social Media Sites or Repositories for Academics such as Research Gate and Academia.edu as long as it does not contain any chapter content. Such versions should include the following statement:
This chapter, “[chapter title],” is published in the book [book title] by [book editors] published by University Professors Press. The published version is available in [book title] available at [insert URL to the book’s webpage on the UPP website].
Sharing Portions of Chapters on Social Media
(Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc)
Chapter authors are allowed—even encouraged—to create screen shots, photographs, or PDF files of the first page of their chapter to share on social media under the following conditions:
- The full book title and list of editors is included with the post
- The post notes that the book was published by University Professors Press
- A link to the book’s page on the University Professors Press website is included.
This should not include more than the first page of the chapter. Authors can request a PDF version of the first page of the chapter from UPP by emailing us (please note it can take up to 2-3 weeks to send copies of first page).
Questions & Clarifications
If an author or chapter author who published with UPP is not clear about any of the information on this page, they should contact UPP to clarify prior to posting any version or portion of their publication to assure compliance.
Open Access Options
UPP does have options for authors to purchase open access rights with their published chapters. The cost for purchasing open access rights varies depending upon 1) the production costs of the book and 2) the years since publication. The costs for open access are significantly higher in the first two years since the publication of the book. To request a quote for purchasing open access rights for a chapter, email us. After payment, UPP will provide a copy of the chapter that can be posted open access. The version provided by UPP is the only version that can be shared.