Want to publish open access, but don’t have the funding to pay for an open access fee or article processing charge (APC)? Green open access is a no-cost way to make your work available freely. Green open access or "self-archiving" refers to the practice of posting a version of your journal article in your university’s repository. This means that you can publish your article as you normally might behind a paywall, and then make the postprint of your article open access.
The postprint is the version of your article after it has undergone peer review, but before it is formatted and designed to look like a journal article. Postprints are also often also called the “accepted manuscript” or “uncorrected proof.” They are typically Word documents or unformatted PDFs.
Some journals let you make your postprint available immediately upon publication, while others ask that you wait a period of time. If you want to learn more about how to make your work open at no cost via green open access, the library can help. Reach out to your subject librarian or Savannah Lake, Digital Scholarship Librarian (savannah.lake@charlotte.edu).
Why make your research articles open? Research shows that open access articles are cited more frequently. Open publishing improves reader access to research and gets more eyes on your paper.