Re: Evolving Publisher Copyright Policies On Self-Archiving

[Stevan Harnad <harnad@ecs.soton.ac.uk>]

> I... checked with one of our editors, and she clarified that it is the
> "accepted" version of the paper that the author is free to post and submit
> to online archives--that's the version after peer review and corrections,
> but before copyediting and formatting by Science staffers. (I agree that
> distinction should be clearer in the guidelines, as I couldn't figure
> it out for myself.)

Unfortunately, as I have not received any reply to my request to post the
above passage officially, I can only post it as an unofficial and
anonymous clarification from someone at AAAS/Science/. However, the news
is good, even though unofficial and unconfirmed. According to this reply,
what AAAS means by "preprint" is the refereed, corrected final draft
(i.e., precisely what Romeo means by "postprint" rather than "preprint")!
So Science should be listed now, along with with Nature, as a "green"
journal and not just a "blue" one. This will need to be clarified when
SHERPA takes over the Romeo Table of Journals' self-archiving policies.

"SHERPA will take over the Romeo Publisher Policy Table"
http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Hypermail/Amsci/3100.html
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ls/disresearch/romeo/Romeo%20Publisher%20Policies.htm

(Romeo "blue" journals support the self-archiving of only the unrefereed
preprint, and not the final, refereed, corrected, accepted draft
["postprint"]. Of course the distinction between blue and green is only a
matter of a slight added inconvenience for self-archiving authors. For
green journals, the refereed final draft can be self-archived directly;
for blue journals, the unrefereed preprint must be linked to a separate
"corrections" file. Many of the green journals are more generous still,
and allow authors to self-archive the journal's own PDF or even XML
version. Such publishers are approaching the "gold" status of open-access
publishers.)

http://www.eprints.org/self-faq/#What-is-Eprint
http://www.eprints.org/self-faq/#copyright1

Here is a timeline of developments in publisher self-archiving policies
from 1996 to the present: As open-access policies like those in the Berlin
Declaration are implemented by Universities and Research-Funders,
publishers will move from white to blue/green (and some even eventually to
gold) as the demand for open access grows.
http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Temp/berlin.htm

"APA Interim Internet Publishing Policy" (1996)
http://www.trauma-pages.com/harnad96.htm

Stevan Harnad