A subscription journal article can still be free to read, but only if you deposit the right version, in the right place, at the right time.
What self-archiving is, and what it is not
Self-archiving means depositing your own version of a paper in an open repository, so anyone can read it free even when the journal article sits behind a subscription. It is often called the green route to open access.
It is not the same as publishing open access in the journal, where the publisher makes its own version free on its site. It is also not the same as uploading a PDF to an academic social network. Journal policies list those as different locations with different rules, and funder mandates such as those of NIH and UKRI name repositories, not networking sites.
The version you deposit decides almost everything else. Jisc's Open Policy Finder, the service that replaced Sherpa Romeo, organises journal policies around three versions:
| Version | What it is | Also called |
|---|---|---|
| Submitted version | The manuscript as sent for peer review | Preprint, author's original manuscript |
| Accepted version | Your final text with peer review revisions, accepted but not typeset | Author accepted manuscript (AAM), postprint |
| Published version | The copyedited, typeset article | Version of record |
Self-archiving usually means the accepted version. If you are not sure which file you are holding, our guide to preprints, accepted manuscripts and versions of record shows how to tell them apart in a few seconds.
Read the journal's self-archiving policy
Before you upload anything, find out what the journal allows. Open Policy Finder is the quickest place to start: search for the journal, then open the policy for the version you plan to deposit.
Each version can carry several options, and each option is a separate route to open access. Read every field of the option you intend to use:
| Field | What to check |
|---|---|
| Prerequisites | Whether the option applies only to authors with a named funder or in a named subject |
| OA fee | Whether the option depends on paying an open access fee |
| Embargo | How long after publication the copy must stay closed, or "No embargo" |
| Licence | Whether a licence such as CC BY applies to the deposited copy |
| Locations | Where you may post: institutional repository, subject repository, a named repository such as PubMed Central, your own website |
| Conditions | What you must add, such as a citation to the published article or a copyright acknowledgement |
Two details catch first-time depositors. An option with a funder prerequisite, such as "no embargo and CC BY" for authors funded by named organisations, does not apply to you unless one of those funders supported the paper. And a location written as "non-commercial repository" rules out commercial sites, however convenient they are.
Open Policy Finder summarises policies; it is not your contract. Open the policy link on the record, reread the publishing agreement you signed, and treat the agreement as the deciding document. If the two conflict, ask your library before you deposit. If the journal is not listed at all, look for an author rights or article sharing page on the publisher's site, or ask the editorial office by email and keep the reply.
When your funder sets the rules
Funders can require deposit on their own terms, and they differ on version, repository, timing and licence. Always read your own grant conditions. Three examples show the range.
NIH. Under the 2024 NIH Public Access Policy, NIH-funded articles accepted for publication on or after 1 July 2025 must be available without embargo in PubMed Central from the official date of publication. Some journals deposit the published article in PubMed Central for you. If yours does not, or deposits it with an embargo, you will usually need to submit the accepted manuscript yourself through the NIH Manuscript Submission (NIHMS) system. PubMed Central's guidance for authors explains how to check which route applies to your journal. It also advises starting the deposit at acceptance, because processing can take up to four weeks in busy periods.
UKRI. For research articles submitted from 1 April 2022 that acknowledge UKRI funding, one compliant route is to publish in a subscription journal and deposit the accepted manuscript in an institutional or subject repository at the time of publication, under CC BY or another licence UKRI permits, with no publisher embargo. UKRI's open access guidance asks you to state the licence in the manuscript's acknowledgements and in your submission cover letter, so the licence is clear from the point of submission. Biomedical articles funded by MRC or BBSRC must also be archived in Europe PMC.
Other funders. cOAlition S developed a rights retention strategy for its member funders built on the same idea: a CC BY licence applied to the accepted manuscript, and open access from the date of publication. Authors funded by members of the Europe PMC Funders Group submit accepted manuscripts through Europe PMC Plus.
The decision rule is simple. If your funder's requirement and the journal's policy do not fit together, raise it before you submit, while you can still choose another journal or route. Your research office can tell you whether a compliant option exists.
Institutional, subject, or general repository
An institutional repository is run by your university or research organisation for its own researchers' work. A subject repository collects one field's work wherever the authors are based; for biomedical research, PubMed Central and Europe PMC are the ones funders name. A general-purpose repository accepts research outputs from any field.
Choose in this order:
- A repository your funder names. If NIH funds you, PubMed Central; if MRC funds your biomedical research, Europe PMC. This is not optional.
- Your institutional repository. Google Scholar's inclusion guidance points individual authors to their institutional repository as one way to get papers indexed, where the repository is configured for Scholar. Ask the repository team whether they check publisher policies and set embargoes for you.
- A subject repository the journal's policy lists as a permitted location.
- A general-purpose repository such as Zenodo, a catch-all repository hosted by CERN that accepts research from every discipline and supports embargoed files. It is useful if you have no institutional repository, but confirm that the policy's listed locations cover it and that your funder accepts it.
You can often deposit in more than one place, such as PubMed Central and your institutional repository, if the policy lists both. To find repositories in your country or field, search OpenDOAR, Jisc's directory of open access repositories.
How to deposit your accepted manuscript, step by step
- Check your funder's rules before you submit. Note the version, repository, timing and licence required. If your funder asks for a licence statement at submission, add it to the acknowledgements and the cover letter now, not at acceptance.
- Look up the journal's policy. Search Open Policy Finder, read the accepted-version options, and confirm them against the publishing agreement.
- Save the accepted manuscript at acceptance. Keep the exact text, tables and figures the editor accepted, as a clean file. Not the typeset proof, which is publisher-created, and not a tracked-changes version.
- Choose the repository using the order above.
- Add a cover statement. Put it on the first page of the file (template below). Add a licence only where your funder or the policy provides one.
- Deposit with complete metadata. Title, every author in order, journal, acceptance date, funder and grant number, licence, and the embargo if one applies. Link the record to your ORCID iD; our guide to ORCID and affiliations covers keeping that record accurate.
- Complete the record after publication. Add the DOI and publication date. Embargoes are normally counted from publication, so recalculate the release date from the actual date. When the file goes public, open it and check it is the right one.
A cover statement you can adapt
Put a short note at the top of the first page so any reader who finds the copy knows what it is and where the final version lives:
This is the author accepted manuscript of an article published in [Journal name]. The version of record is available via its DOI: [DOI]. [Licence statement, only if your funder or the journal's policy provides one.]
If the policy's conditions give exact wording, such as a specific copyright line, use that wording instead. If the article is not yet published, deposit with "[DOI to follow]" and update the statement when the DOI is live.
Mistakes that get copies taken down
| Mistake | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| Uploading the publisher PDF | Deposit the accepted manuscript unless the article carries an open licence |
| Depositing the submitted version to meet a mandate | NIH and UKRI both specify the accepted manuscript |
| Setting the embargo from the deposit date | Count it from publication unless the policy says otherwise |
| Applying CC BY on your own initiative | Apply a licence only where your funder or the policy provides for it |
| Relying on an academic social network | Deposit in a repository and share that link |
Networking sites deserve a specific warning. ResearchGate's own help centre says many publishers do not allow the version of record to be shared publicly at any time, even by its authors, and that it removes content when a rights holder files a valid infringement notice.
Two risks matter particularly in medical papers. Permission to reproduce a third-party figure may have been granted for the journal only, so check that it covers a repository copy or replace the figure with a citation. And if the paper includes identifiable patient images or case details, confirm that the consent you obtained covers an openly available copy, and ask the editor or your ethics office if it is unclear.
Before you click deposit
- The file is the accepted manuscript, not the proof or the publisher PDF
- You have read the journal's policy for that version, and the option applies to you
- The repository matches a listed location and your funder's requirement
- The embargo, if any, is set from the publication date
- The licence matches what your funder and the policy allow
- The cover statement names the journal and the DOI
- Grant number, acceptance date and ORCID iD are in the metadata
- Third-party figures and patient consent have been checked
Make it part of acceptance day
Self-archiving goes wrong when it becomes a task for later. Months after publication, the accepted file is buried in email, the funder report is due, and the only copy to hand is the one you are not allowed to post. Save the accepted manuscript and start the deposit the day the acceptance email arrives, and the rest is a short metadata form.
If colleagues still treat free-to-read copies as second-rate, our piece on open access myths explains why the access model and the quality of review are separate questions. If you are preparing a paper for a Directive Publications journal, its open access, licensing and author rights policies are collected on the For Authors page, so you can check them before you submit.
Frequently asked questions
Is self-archiving allowed if I transferred copyright to the publisher?
Often, yes. Publishing agreements that transfer copyright frequently leave authors specific rights, such as depositing the accepted manuscript in a repository, usually with conditions like an embargo or a citation to the published article. Check the agreement you signed and the journal's policy record for the version you want to post. If your funder required a licence statement at submission, ask your library or research office how it interacts with the agreement.
Which version of my paper can I upload to a repository?
Usually the accepted manuscript: your final text after peer review revisions, before the publisher's copyediting and typesetting. Some policies also allow the submitted version, while the published version can normally be posted only if the article carries an open licence or the policy says so explicitly. Check the options listed for each version in the journal's policy before you upload.
What is the difference between an institutional and a subject repository?
An institutional repository is run by a university or research organisation for the work of its own researchers across all fields. A subject repository collects work in one field wherever the authors are based, and PubMed Central and Europe PMC fill that role for biomedical and life sciences research. Journal policies sometimes permit one type and not the other, so check the listed locations before you choose.
Can I upload my published PDF to ResearchGate?
Usually not. ResearchGate's own help centre says many publishers do not allow the version of record to be shared publicly at any time, even by its authors, and publishers can ask for infringing copies to be removed. If the article was published under an open licence such as CC BY, sharing with attribution is permitted. Otherwise, deposit the accepted manuscript in a repository and share a link to that copy.
Does self-archiving count toward funder open access requirements?
It can, but only if the deposit meets that funder's conditions on version, repository, timing and licence. For example, NIH requires funded articles accepted from 1 July 2025 to be available in PubMed Central without embargo, and UKRI's repository route requires the accepted manuscript in an institutional or subject repository at publication with a CC BY licence. A copy on an academic social network does not meet either rule, so check your own grant conditions.