Author Self-Archiving Policy

The University Forum Journal believes in self-archiving as a key mechanism for promoting open access and disseminating scientific knowledge on a broad scale. Accordingly, the Journal encourages authors to archive their scholarly works in order to enhance their accessibility and visibility. To support this objective, the Journal utilizes the Public Knowledge Project Preservation Network (PKP PN), which provides secure and free preservation of articles and bibliographic metadata. The preservation service is automatically activated through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform, enabling articles to be stored in multiple digital repositories and ensuring their long-term availability even in the event of website outages or technical failures.

1. Definition of Self-Archiving: Self-archiving refers to the practice whereby an author deposits a version of their research paper—whether a pre-print, post-print, or the published version—in an open digital repository, such as an institutional repository, subject repository, or personal website.

 

2. Versions Permitted for Self-Archiving:

·      Pre-print Version: The pre-print is the original version of the manuscript before it is submitted for peer review. Authors are permitted to archive this version at any time.

·      Post-print / Accepted Manuscript: The post-print, or accepted manuscript, is the version of the paper that has been accepted for publication following peer review and revisions, but prior to the Journal’s final formatting and typesetting (i.e., it does not include the Journal’s logo or final page numbering). Authors may archive this version immediately upon acceptance for publication.

·      Publisher’s PDF: The Publisher’s PDF is the final official version published by the Journal in its formatted layout, including the Journal logo and complete publication details. Authors may archive this version immediately after publication in the Journal.

 

3. Locations for Self-Archiving: Authors may archive their research in the following locations:

  • Institutional repositories: The digital repository of the university or institution with which the author is affiliated.
  • Subject repositories: Repositories dedicated to specific disciplines, such as arXiv for physics and mathematics or SSRN for the social sciences.
  • Personal websites or academic profile pages maintained by the author.
  • Academic social networking platforms, such as ResearchGate or Academia.edu, subject to the policies of those platforms.

4. Conditions of Self-Archiving: When self-archiving any version of a research paper, authors must always:

·      Clearly Indicate the Source: Authors must state that the work has been published (or accepted for publication) in the Journal, providing the issue number, publication date, and a direct link to the published version on the Journal’s official website.

·      Comply with the Creative Commons License: All articles published in the Journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which permits reuse and distribution provided that proper attribution is given to the original source. This license should also be acknowledged when self-archiving.

·      No Embargo Period: The Journal permits immediate self-archiving of the accepted manuscript (post-print) upon acceptance for publication.

·      Policy Updates: The University Forum Journal reserves the right to review and amend this policy at any time. Authors are therefore advised to consult the latest version of the Self-Archiving Policy available on the Journal’s website.

 

5. Benefits of Self-Archiving:

Self-archiving contributes to:

  • Promoting open access to knowledge: Making scholarly research more widely available to researchers and the general public.
  • Increasing research visibility and impact: Depositing research outputs in multiple repositories and platforms enhances discoverability and citation potential while preserving the Journal’s role as the official publisher.
  • Supporting responsible scholarly publishing practices: Facilitating the dissemination of scientific research in a responsible manner while safeguarding original publication rights.

 

Conclusion:

Based on the foregoing, the University Forum Journal strongly encourages its authors to take full advantage of this Self-Archiving Policy in support of open-access principles and to maximize the visibility and impact of their research.