repository policy

Repository Policy

Author self-archiving policy

This policy sets out the ways in which OUP journal authors can self-archive versions of their work on their own webpages, on institutional webpages, and in other repositories. Please be aware that policies and embargo periods may differ from journal to journal, so ensure that you have selected the correct journal policy.

Article version Personal website Institutional or non-commercial subject based repository Commercial platforms and social media
Authors Original Version (AOV) At any time At any time At any time
Accepted Manuscript (AM) After publication After embargo period* AM may not be posted, unless the website or repository has signed an agreement with OUP permitting re-use
Version of Record (VOR) VOR may not be uploaded or shared, but Abstract and Citation may be uploaded and shared with a link to the VOR on the OUP website VOR may not be uploaded or shared unless the website or repository has signed an agreement with OUP permitting reuse. The Abstract and Citation may be uploaded and shared with a link to the VOR article on the OUP website VOR may not be uploaded or shared unless website or the repository has signed an agreement with OUP permitting reuse. The Abstract and Citation may be posted with a link to the VOR article on the OUP website

Abstract and citation information

Authors may reuse the Abstract and Citation information (e.g. Title, Author name, Publication dates) of their article anywhere at any time including social media such as Facebook, blogs and Twitter, providing that where possible a link is included back to the article on the OUP site. Preferably the link should be, or include, the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) which can be found in the Citation information in the article online.

Author’s original version

The Author’s Original Version (AOV) is the un-refereed author version of an article as submitted for publication in an Oxford University Press journal. This is sometimes known as the “preprint” version. The author accepts full responsibility for this version of the article, and the content and layout is set out by the author.

Authors may make their AOV available anywhere at any time. This includes posting on their own personal websites, institutional or non-commercial or subject based repositories, commercial websites or repositories, or social media, provided that, upon acceptance, they acknowledge that the article has been accepted for publication as follows:

This article has been accepted for publication in [Journal Title] Published by Oxford University Press.

After publication we would also ask authors to update their AOV with the Digital Object Identifier (DOI), and include a link to the Version of Record.

Accepted manuscript

The Accepted Manuscript (AM) is the final draft author manuscript, as accepted for publication by a journal, including modifications based on referees’ suggestions, before it has undergone copyediting, typesetting and proof correction. This is sometimes referred to as the post-print version.

Immediately upon publication

  • Authors may make their AM available on their non-commercial homepage or blog. They may also privately share their work within their institution for the purposes of research or education, and make copies available to colleagues or students for their personal use providing that the AM is not made publicly available until after the embargo period.
  • Authors may also immediately upload their AM to their institutional or other non-commercial subject based repositories (on the proviso that it is not made publicly available until after the specified embargo period)

After embargo

  • Authors may upload their AM to an institutional repository or other non-commercial repositories, and make it publicly available. Accepted Manuscripts may not> be uploaded or shared on commercial websites or repositories, unless the website or repository has signed an agreement with OUP permitting such uploading or sharing.

Embargo periods may vary between journals. For details of a journal’s specific embargo period, please contact with one of journal admins.

When making an accepted manuscript available, authors should include the following acknowledgment as well as a link to the version of record. This will guarantee that the version of record is readily available to those accessing the article from public repositories, and means that the article is more likely to be cited correctly.

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in [insert journal title] following peer review. The version of record [insert complete citation information here] is available online at: xxxxxxx [insert URL and DOI of the article on the OUP website].

Version of record

The Version of Record (VOR) is defined here as the final typeset and edited version of the journal article that has been made available by OUP formally and exclusively declaring the article “published”. This includes any ‘advanced access’ article even before the compilation of a volume issue.

The VOR as it appears in the journal following copyediting and proof correction may not be deposited by authors in institutional repositories or posted to third party websites and made publicly available unless the article is published on an Open Access model licence that allows for such posting. Authors may share their VOR with private groups within their institution or through private groups on non-commercial repositories that are signatories to the STM Voluntary principles for article sharing on Scholarly Collaboration Networks (SCN). The VOR may not be uploaded or shared on commercial websites or repositories, unless the website or repository has signed an agreement with OUP permitting such uploading or sharing.

Open access

Authors who have agreed to publish their article on an Open Access basis, and who have paid any associated fees, are entitled to make their article publically available according to the terms of their selected licences.

  • CC BY-NC and CC BY-NC-ND

  • Authors who have published under a CC BY-NC or a CC BY-NC-ND licence may share and distribute their article on non-commercial websites and repositories immediately upon publication.
  • CC BY

  • In addition to the reuses set out above, authors who have published their article under a CC BY licence may also share and distribute their article anywhere including commercial platforms immediately on publication.

Commercial re-use guidelines for open access content

Definition of commercial use: any re-use of material from the Open Access part of an Oxford Journal for the commercial gain of the user and/or their employing institution. In particular,

  • re-use by a non-author/third party/other publisher of parts of or all of an article or articles in another publication (journal or book) to be sold for commercial purposes. Permission to reproduce selected figures will generally be granted free of charge, although OUP reserves the right to levy a fee for the use of these and/or the full text of an article/articles
  • the proactive supply of multiple print or electronic copies of items taken from the Journal to third parties on a systematic basis for marketing purposes. Permission for this kind of reuse should be obtained from the publisher, who retains the right to levy an appropriate fee
  • re-use by an author of parts of or all of an article in other publications from commercial organizations. Permission for this kind of reuse should be obtained from the publisher. We would consider this to be commercial reuse but would not normally charge a permission fee if the author is involved.
    • NB: Please note that any income generated from permissions granted for this kind of use will be returned directly to the journal itself in order to help minimise the costs of making content from it available on an Open Access basis.

When posting, distributing or reusing Open Access articles, the journal and OUP should be clearly attributed as the original place of publication and correct citation details should be given. Authors should also deposit the URL of their published article in any repository, in addition to the Version of Record.

When making their article available according to the terms of their Open Access licence, we strongly encourage authors of Open Access papers to deposit the version of record. This will guarantee that the definitive version is readily available to those accessing your article from such repositories, and means that your article is more likely to be cited correctly.

Author online offprint link

On publication, authors will be sent an online offprint link allowing access to their article on the OUP website without subscription. For authors of non-Open Access articles, this link may be shared directly with interested colleagues or posted to personal/institutional webpages, but is not intended for mass distribution on websites, subject based repositories, or through social media. If you wish to share links or draw attention to your article we would ask that you instead distribute a link to the abstract of the article.

Authors of Open Access articles are free to post and distribute their links anywhere immediately upon publication.

Funding bodies

Please be aware that you are responsible for all funding agency compliance and the accuracy of information you provide in relation to your article. OUP and/or the controlling Learned Society shall not be responsible for checking that funding agency requirements have been complied with. Funding agencies may require additional steps beyond those discussed on this page or provided by OUP, and authors are strongly encouraged to contact their funders and ensure that all requirements are met. 

Commercial websites and/or repositories

OUP Journals define commercial websites and/or repositories as services intended to make a commercial gain. This definition includes charging fees for access, distribution or aggregation of OUP content, selling advertising on websites, repositories or in any other way alongside OUP content, and the sale of user data.