AFBI Repository FAQs
AFBI Library staff are responsible for administering the AFBI Repository. The Repository aims to collect Open Access research from AFBI Scientists to ensure that where possible, AFBI research is freely available to access, leading to greater visibility and citation rates.
Some questions that we are frequently asked include:
What is Green Open Access?
Most publishers allow the accepted manuscript copy of articles to be uploaded to an institutional repository. This is known as ‘Green’ Open Access, a standard practice which involves publishing in a traditional subscription journal in the usual way, while also self-archiving a copy of the accepted manuscript in a repository. The copy deposited in a repository can then often only be made available after an embargo period.
What about copyright?
When submitting an accepted manuscript to the Library for inclusion in the AFBI Repository, any copyright checks on the accepted manuscript are done by Library staff who consult the open access policies of individual journals. Any applicable conditions or embargoes are applied as part of this process. In short, the Library does the work to ensure that this Open Access route (‘Green’ Open Access) is compliant with copyright.
Why is my accepted manuscript required?
The Library requests the accepted manuscript, which is the plain-text (e.g. Word document) version of the finished, accepted article inclusive of all changes from peer review, and would normally not require further changes before publication. This is the version of the paper which is usually allowed for self-archiving in a repository. If it is not possible to supply an accepted manuscript, please let us know.
What are the benefits?
The benefits of depositing your work in the AFBI Repository include potentially higher citation rates, greater visibility of your work through inclusion in Google Scholar and CORE, and helping to develop a central repository of AFBI research, which can attract other researchers who may wish to collaborate with you.
If you have any questions at all regarding the AFBI Repository, please get in touch via afbilib@qub.ac.uk .
