Which open access options are available?

Self-archiving (sometimes called green open access) is when a version of an article, published as a subscription article, can be accessed for free after the Journal’s embargo period.

Self-archiving means that you:

• Continue to publish in a subscription journal.
• Do not need to pay additional charges, as subscribers pay all the expenses needed to support the publication process.
• Can share a link to the article immediately, either via our Share Link serviceopens in new tab/window or with the article's permanent address (DOI).
• Can post a copy of your research for everyone to read for free. See our sharing policy for detailsopens in new tab/window.

To enable open access for a subscription article, a time delay (known as an embargo period) is needed. The embargo begins from the publication date of the issue the article appears in. The embargo period is journal-specific and generally ranges from 12 - 24 months.

Also, in more than 100 journals, Elsevier operates the Open Archive program, allowing anyone to read and download articles (after an embargo period) in those journals. See a list of journals with open archivesopens in new tab/window.

This is a way of publishing open access in a journal which ensures your article is immediately, freely and permanently available to the public.

This type of open access is available in either:

• A fully open access journal, which doesn't have any subscribers.
• A hybrid journal, which publishes articles through both open access and subscription.

Fully open access means:

• Your article will be peer reviewed.
• Upon acceptance, a fee is payable by you or your research funder.
• You need to select a user license which determines how readers can copy, distribute and use your research. This is normally one of the Creative Commons user licensesopens in new tab/window.
• Once published, it is permanently free for everyone to access.