UMBC Open Access Policy

How do I make my work open?

Email any of the following to  scholarworks-group@umbc.edu, or to flinchba@UMBC.edu:

• The final, peer-reviewed Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) of works.
• A link to your Google Scholar profile
• A link to a website where your works are listed
• Your CV

When a paper is revised by the publisher after the peer review stage, the author generally does not have the rights to any publisher-made changes. But the VOR is almost always the same, in regard to meaningful content, as the AAM. In most cases, the AAM suffices for scholarly purposes, because it is the peer-reviewed version of the text. One 2018 study by Kelin et al, “Comparing published scientific journal articles to their pre-print versions” (International Journal on Digital Libraries, 2018), found that “the text contents of the scientific papers generally changed very little from their pre-print to final published versions.” Even for those who would prefer access to the VOR, if they are barred from access due to permission and price barriers, access to the AAM is far better than nothing.

It is likely you have authored work not covered by the Open Access Policy. For example, anything authored before the date this policy was approved, or before you signed the voluntary Individual Open Access License — would not be covered by this policy. For scholarly articles not covered by a UMBC license,  your rights to use those works may be limited by the terms of any agreements you signed with publishers or other third parties. In most cases,  publishing agreements grant more extensive reuse rights for the Author Accepted Manuscript than for the published version or Version of Record.

Therefore, even if the publisher does not permit you to distribute the published version, your publishing agreement may permit you to make your AAM available for download in ScholarWorks. Please consult with  Michelle Flinchbaugh, flinchba@umbc.edu, with any questions. 

We also invite you to share other research outputs through ScholarWorks@UMBC, beyond research articles. ScholarWorks@UMBC is an ideal place to share slides, working papers, datasets, white papers, and any other research materials, including audiovisual materials, that you want to share openly and preserve for the scholarly record!

Yes, it is possible to embargo or restrict access to documents in ScholarWorks@UMBC for a finite period of time. Faculty members must contact the Libraries to set the end date. Restrictions are automatically removed at the end of the embargo period.

Email scholarworks-group@umbc.edu to request an embargo of your AAM in ScholarWorks@UMBC. 

UMBC’s first priority is to make sure research is accessible in an open, equitable manner. Compliance with the Open Access Policy will not preclude you from sharing your work to any other repository, website, or publication, at the time that provides the most benefit to your research. 

We have prepared a template ADDENDUM you may wish to use in negotiations with your publisher The template Addendum can be used to alter the terms of a publishing agreement to permit the  deposit of your manuscript in ScholarWorks@UMBC.

If you decide with your publisher not to use the addendum or otherwise permit deposit of your scholarly article in ScholarWorks@UMBC, you can simply submit a waiver. Waivers are granted automatically. 

If you have questions about any aspect of the Open Access Policy, please don’t hesitate to contact scholarworks-group@umbc.edu.