Ownership & Copyright<\/h2>\n
Your pre-printed version is yours and you can do with it what you will. Once the paper is published, you have a copyright agreement with the journal publisher, and that journal may not automatically give you the right to self-archive. In fact, many large academic publishing houses are now introducing more explicit policies that do not allow archiving of either pre- or post-print versions of your paper. Some will allow self-archiving on a personal site but not an institutional site.<\/p>\n
The Attraction of Self-Archiving<\/h2>\n
For many researchers, the attraction of self-archiving is not just about immediate availability. For them, it\u2019s about a direct response to open access<\/a> journal fees\u2014making their material searchable and accessible without having to pay a placement fee as authors or requiring readers to pay a subscription fee to a journal.<\/p>\n Self-archiving also has the potential to increase your readership\u00a0and raise your profile as a research specialist, but this is possible only if you actively promote your research and your website to make sure the results reach a\u00a0larger audience. Not all researchers have the time, resources, or expertise to invest in search engine optimization (SEO) strategies<\/a> to make sure that their sites rank well in search engines. In addition, as search algorithms now consider\u00a0the frequency of content being posted in search rankings, researchers may not have the time to post frequently enough. In addition, when faced with the need for frequent website content, how long before a researcher gives into the temptation to “salami slice<\/a>”\u00a0their data to make a\u00a0single study generate as much content as possible? In that scenario, you have failed in your mission to make the data available as soon as possible.<\/p>\n While researchers seeking to circumvent the sclerotic pace of traditional academic publishing have been quick to see the potential of self-archiving, many are still waiting on the sidelines to see how the situation develops. Critics may dismiss this\u00a0caution as an unwillingness to change with the technology, but there is some merit in waiting until publishing houses reach a consensus on their copyright policies.<\/p>\nA Solution in Search of an Audience<\/h2>\n
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