Which version of my paper can I deposit in WIRE?

When depositing your research to WIRE it is important to check you’re depositing the correct version of your manuscript.

Only accepted manuscripts or published versions of manuscripts can be deposited in WIRE- we do not archive pre-prints or submitted manuscripts (manuscripts that have not been through the peer review process). Before archiving any research outputs in the repository, the Scholarly Communications Team will check that the correct version has been submitted. Many publishers, including Elsevier, Wiley, Sage and Taylor & Francis, only allow authors to archive the accepted manuscript in their institutional repository. Published versions of articles may only be deposited if they have been published open access with a Creative Commons licence.

Before you submit your paper to WIRE, check the self-archiving policy of your publisher to see which version they allow you to self-archive in an institutional repository. You can find out this information by checking directly with the publisher or by consulting Sherpa Romeo. The Sherpa Romeo website provides details of journal self-archiving policies.

The diagram below outlines the different versions of a paper during the publication process:

Publication process

Here are descriptions of the different manuscript versions:

Submitted version (also known as the ‘pre-print’)

The submitted version, also known as the author’s Pre-print, is the version that was first submitted to the publisher for consideration. This version will not have been through the peer review process. Manuscripts deposited on pre-print servers such as arXiv tend to be the submitted version.

Author’s accepted manuscript (also known as ‘post print’)

Example of an author’s accepted manuscript. A text document which has not been formatted by the publisher.Sometimes known as the post-print, the AAM is the version accepted for publication after it has undergone peer review, but before any copyediting or formatting has been applied by the publisher. The content should be the same as the final published version, but it shouldn’t include any copy-editing, typesetting or copyright marking from the publisher. Formatting changes applied by the publisher may include: adding publisher logos, extra columns, headings and footers, typesetting and font changes.  The AAM will often be in an editable format, such as Word. Some publishers require authors to submit their articles in a supplied template form which can also be considered as an accepted manuscript.

This is what an AAM typically looks like:

Proof/uncorrected proof

Once the author’s accepted version has been re-submitted to the publisher to undergo copy and format changes prior to publication, it becomes the proof version.  As the creation of a proof involves further work on the document by the publisher, this version of the paper is not considered an accepted manuscript, and generally falls under the copyright of the publisher.

Published version (also known as ‘version of record’)

Example of a published version which has been type-set and copy-edited by the publisher. Document includes publisher logo and formatting by the publisher.The published version is the final version of the manuscript which includes the publisher’s copy-editing, typesetting and copyright statement. The published version tends to include citation details such as the DOI, volume and page numbers, and files themselves are often in a PDF format. Publishers do not allow this version to be deposited in an institutional repository unless it is accompanied by a Creative Commons licence.

If you are unsure which version may be archived in WIRE, get in touch with the Scholarly Communications Team at WIRE@wlv.ac.uk and they will help determine the correct version that may be archived in the repository.