Journals open access FAQs

Which journals accept open access article submissions? 

All Bristol University Press and Policy Press journals accept open access submissions. 

What is open access? 

With Green OA authors publish in a journal and then self-archive a version of the article for gratis public use in a repository, subject to a number of restrictions. For more information see our policy on self-archiving and institutional repositories. 

With Gold OA authors publish in a journal under a creative commons licence. The Publisher makes the article freely available for all readers, and the article can be freely copied, distributed, and re-used according to the type of creative commons licence applied. This method is usually subject to an Article Processing Charge (APC). 

What is the difference between “free” content and an “open access” article? 

Free content is not supported by Article Processing Charges, and is made free at the discretion of the Publisher. Open access articles are often supported by Author Processing Charges and are permanently free for all to access and re-use, under a creative commons licence. 

How does an author submit an open access article? 

You should submit your article in exactly the same way as usual, following the instructions on the journal website. There is no need to highlight that you wish the article to be open access until the article has been accepted for publication. 

 What is the author fee for open access publication? 

The standard fee for making articles open access is £1,500. This fee is known as an Article Processing Charge (APC). We offer a number of APC discounts. For further information please see: http://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/journals/open-access. 

How is the APC determined? 

The APC reflects the cost of managing and resourcing the publishing process, including peer review, copy-editing, production, distribution and hosting. 

How do I pay the APC? 

UK customers can pay by credit/debit card through our online shop. All customers can request an invoice. To request an invoice, please email bup-journals@bristol.ac.uk.  

If I go for Gold OA, can I choose which CC-BY licence is applied to my work? 

Yes. You can see the licences to choose from at http://creativecommons.org/licenses. Your funding body may insist your work is published under a specific CC-BY licence, so make sure to check. Email us at bup-journals@bristol.ac.uk to let us know which licence you’d like us to use for your work. 

Is the peer review process different for open access articles compared to traditional articles? 

No. All Bristol University Press and Policy Press journals have the same high standard of peer review for all content submitted, regardless of open access status. The open access status of an article has no bearing on the decision to accept or reject a submission. 

How does a reader access an open access article? 

Readers will continue to access all of our journal content through Bristol Univeristy Press Digital. Open access articles are labelled with a yellow padlock and available to all readers, regardless of their subscription base. 

How do I cite an open access article? 

You should cite an open access article in exactly the same way as a normal article. 

Can I put my article into a repository? 

If you have gone down the Gold route and paid the Article Processing Charge, you can put your article into a repository straight away. If you have not paid the Article Processing Charge (this is the Green route), you can post your Author Accepted Manscript (post peer review but pre-copy editing and typesetting) into a repository subject to the following conditions:  

• It is embargoed for 12 months after publication of the Version of Record in the journal, unless a funder or institution mandates otherwise and for any commercial repositories or websites (eg academia.edu or ResearchGate),
• If your funder or institution requires a shorter or zero embargo period, this is acceptable. For example, all AAMs arising from research fully or partially funded by cOAlition S organisations, including UKRI, can be posted in open access repositories at the time of publication without an embargo period.
• It must be held on a not-for-profit server (ie personal website, institutional server, not-for-profit subject based servers)
• It must be clearly identified as the author's post-acceptance version and state that it is not to be cited.
• It must include full referencing and an online link to the final published definitive version of scholarly record (currently held on Bristol University Press Digital) with acknowledgement wording as below.
• Authors are not permitted to post the version of record (the version of the work that appears in the official journal, which includes copy editing, typesetting and branding).

For acknowledgement wording and further information please see our policy on self-archiving and institutional repositories. 

Who should I contact if I have more questions?

Please email bup-journals@bristol.ac.uk.