Research support
Publishing your research
Library and Learning Services can provide support and guidance when publishing your research.
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Where to publish
Library and Learning Services will never tell you where to publish your research, but we can offer advice and resources that may help when trying to find a publisher.
Think. Check. Submit.
Think. Check. Submit. aims to help researchers identify trusted journals and publishers. The questions, tools and resources support researchers when considering potential publishers. They may also help identify any predatory publishers, publishers who take advantage and exploit researchers and their work.
Think. Check. Attend. offers similar tools to support researchers when trying to decide which conferences to attend and present at.
Journal Checker Tool
If you have received research funding, your research funder may have publishing and open access (OA) requirements. Journal Checker Tool will help to check whether the journal you would like to publish in supports compliance with your research funder.
For further information and support on research funder policies, see the Research Funder Open Access Publication Policies webpage.
OAPEN Books Toolkit
Thinking of publishing an Open Access (OA) book? The OAPEN Books Toolkit aims to help academics and researchers understand OA for books and provide guidance on publishing a book OA.
Research Metrics
Bibliometrics may help when choosing a publisher or journal. You could check a journal’s impact factor or use citation data to see what research is being published in a particular journal.
When using bibliometrics, researchers must consider them carefully and in context. Different bibliometric measures have limitations, and they are not always a measure of good quality. Different subjects and disciplines also value bibliometrics differently.
For further information about the metric resources available to YSJ researchers, see Measure your research impact.
Paying to publish
York St John University supports the principles of OA and where possible ask researchers to follow the Green or Diamond OA route.
- Green OA – a version of a research output is made available free of charge to readers, often through an online repository and usually with an embargo period.
- Diamond OA – neither author or readers pay any charge and research outputs are published, made available immediately and can be reused according to the licence applied to the work.
Open Access Community Framework initiatives
As part of our commitment to supporting OA, Library and Learning Services has pledged money to two of JISC’s Open Access Community Framework initiatives. These community-driven framework initiatives enable multiple stakeholders to collectively fund OA content. The two initiatives we have pledged money to support are:
International Journal of Strength and Conditioning: Open Access Community Framework 2022-24
A peer-reviewed academic journal in the area of Sport Science, Sport Performance, and Strength and Conditioning. The IJSC is Diamond Open-Access, bringing scientific research to the entire community at zero-cost to the consumer and author. The support given through the framework initiative will enable a fully independent and sustainable operation for the IJSC. This will mean continued OA to the journal for all, as well as unlimited opportunity for submission and publication within the IJSC for all of UK institutions' academics and students.
Open UP ECR Monograph initiative: Open Access Community Framework 2022-2024
A collaborative project between Bristol University Press, Edinburgh University Press, Liverpool University Press, Manchester University Press, UCL Press and University of Wales Press to secure funding for a number of first books by UK-based (unfunded) early career researchers each year to support the expectation that the next REF exercise will require eligible monographs to be made available via approved open access (OA) routes. Funding through the JISC pledges will support Diamond OA Publication for 12 ECR books in each period, with the first batch of books due for publication in 2023. The initiative aims to support ECRs across the UK who would benefit significantly from their work being made OA.
Read and Publish Agreements
Alongside supporting OA publishing initiatives, Library and Learning Services have some transitional agreements with publishers. Transitional agreements, also known as Read and Publish agreements, provide access to the publisher’s subscription journals whilst also allowing our researchers to publish research articles with that publisher immediately OA without any APCs (article processing charges). To be eligible for these deals, a YSJU researcher must be the corresponding author and they must use their YSJU email address.
Library & Learning Services have agreements with the following publishers:
Cambridge University Press:
- Unlimited immediate OA publishing in CUP hybrid and wholly Gold journals.
- A journal list can be found at Cambridge University Press Read and Publish Agreement 2021-2024.
Elsevier*:
- Unlimited immediate OA publishing in Elsevier hybrid journals including the Cell Press and Lancet titles.
- 15% APC discount when publishing in Elsevier Gold journals.
- A journal list can be found at Elsevier Read and Publish Agreement 2022-2024.
* Please contact RaY (ray@yorksj.ac.uk) first before submitting a publication using this deal.
Oxford University Press*:
- Immediate OA publishing in Oxford University Press journals, subject to a consortium cap.
- A journal list can be found at Oxford University Press Full Collection Read & Publish Agreement.
- To ensure your article is published immediately OA, please follow the author workflow guide.
* Please contact RaY (ray@yorksj.ac.uk) first before submitting a publication using this deal for support with the author workflow.
PLOS:
- Unlimited immediate OA publishing in six PLOS journals.
- PLOS ONE
- PLOS Genetics
- PLOS Pathogens
- PLOS Computational Biology
- PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
- PLOS Digital Health
SAGE:
- Unlimited immediate OA publishing in SAGE hybrid journals.
- 20% APC discount when publishing in SAGE Gold journals.
- A journal list can be found at SAGE Journals Read & Publish 2020-2022 Agreement.
Taylor & Francis:
- Immediate OA publishing in Taylor & Francis hybrid (Open Select) journals, subject to a consortium cap.
- A journal list can be found at Taylor & Francis: Transformative Agreement 2021-2023.
Wiley:
- Immediate OA publishing in all Wiley journals, subject to consortium fund availability.
- A journal list can be found at Wiley Jisc Read and Publish Open Access Agreement 2020-2023.
Note:
- Hybrid journals – a subscription access journal in which some of the articles are OA.
- Gold journals – journals where all articles are immediately OA as authors have (usually) paid APCs.
These agreements are subject to change. Please contact RaY (ray@yorksj.ac.uk) for more information.
Article Processing Charges (APCs)
If Green or Diamond OA routes or Read and Publish agreements are not available or appropriate, only then should you consider an APC. If APC funding is required, researchers should check with their relevant School about the availability of funding or ensure any research funding will cover the costs of an APC payment. If you have received research funding, check that your funder permits using research funds to pay for an APC. Please note, neither Library and Learning Service or the Research Office (including QR funding) have a budget to pay for APCs.
When considering APCs check that fees are clearly explained, that the information is easy to find on publisher websites and that there are no additional or hidden costs. A lack of information could indicate a predatory publisher.
Publishing contracts
Once your research has been accepted by a publisher, you should receive a publishing contract. Make sure you read any contracts carefully and check that you understand all the terms. Publishing contracts can be negotiated, and you don’t need to sign the first contract you’re given.
There are certain things you should consider when reading and negotiating your contract. These can differ depending on what you are publishing:
- Publishing deadlines – Will the deadlines conflict with any other projects or teaching?
- Costs and payment – Are royalty payments clearly outlined? Who will pay for any copyright permissions? What will the cost/licensing options be for HE Institutions? Do you need to become a member of the ACLS?
- Format – Will the text be available in print and electronically? Will an affordable library e-book model be available and on which platform(s)? Will an accessible version of the text be available?
- Open Access – Does the publisher support OA? Will the publisher allow a chapter to be made open on RaY?
- Reuse – Will you be able to use the research in your teaching? Will you be able to build upon and use that research again in the future?
- Research funder compliance – Have you received any research funding? Does the publisher comply with your research funder policies? Do you need to consider Plans S? Is the journal Plan S compliant? Do you need to consider the Right Retention Strategy?
Academic eBook Investigation/#eBookSOS has produced guidance for academics on negotiating contracts with publishers - Can my students read my books? Guidance for academics on negotiating contracts with publishers.
If you would like any advice related to publishing contracts, contact our Copyright and Licences Officer by emailing (c.beswick@yorksj.ac.uk).
Transferring copyright ownership
Some publishers may ask that your transfer your copyright ownership to them when signing a publishing contract. Where possible, we would recommend that you retain your copyright and instead sign a licence to publish, which grants the publisher exclusive right to publish your research whilst you retain some rights. If you transfer copyright ownership to your publisher, you may need to get permission from the publisher to use the research in your teaching or to build upon the research in the future. Retaining copyright ownership is also one of the Plan S principles.
For further information about copyright, see the Copyright Essentials webpages.
For further information about Plan S, see the Research Funder Open Access Publication Policies webpage.
ALCS
The ALCS (Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society) is a non-for-profit, membership organisation for writers that collects royalty money due to UK works (books, articles and scripts) from around the world and then distributes the money owed to members. The money they collect is from ‘secondary uses’ of works, such as photocopies, digital reproductions and educational recordings. Anyone who has ever written anything that has been published or broadcast can join. See the ALCS for further information.