FAQ

1. What is self-archiving?

Self-archiving refers to the practice of scholars depositing copies of their research papers in electronic repositories or ‘open archives’.

2. What is a stage-2 manuscript?

The stage-2 version is the author’s accepted manuscript which includes all the changes made as part of the peer-review process, but is not the final published version.

3. How do I self-archive (deposit) my accepted manuscript for PEER?

Please consult the page PEER Author deposit.

4. I received an invitation to self-archive my accepted manuscript for PEER, but I am not based in the EU. What should I do?

If you are not based in the EU, unfortunately you cannot participate directly in PEER. Any self-archiving activities outside of PEER should adhere to the publisher’s license terms for the journal in which your manuscript has been accepted. If you do not know what the standard license terms are, these shoud be available either within the publication agreement for your article or from the journal website. If you are unsure of the license terms, we recommend you contact the relevant publisher directly.

5. I usually deposit to my repository. Why should I deposit within PEER?

PEER will measure the usage & visibility of all accepted manuscripts deposited to the PEER repositories. By depositing your manuscript, you will be contributing to this important project. PEER will assess the effects of large-scale, systematic depositing of authors’ final peer-reviewed manuscripts (so called Green Open Access or stage-two research output) on reader access, author visibility, and journal viability, as well as on the broader ecology of European research. For further information on PEER research, please visit the ​PEER website.

6. I usually deposit to my repository and do not wish to deposit again in PEER. Why should I alert PEER to the URL where my manuscript is now available?

PEER requests from you the URL of your repository of choice (location of article) for research purposes only. In addition, by providing your e-mail address you agree to participate in the behavioural research, which investigates trends and patterns of author and user behaviour in the context of so called Green Open Access. For further information on PEER research, please visit the ​PEER website.

7. I received notification from my publisher that my accepted manuscript may be archived on my behalf in the PEER repositories, but I don’t want this to happen. What can I do?

If you wish to object to your manuscript being included within the project, the corresponding author of the respective article can raise the matter within 5 months after article submission via a PEER helpdesk ticket providing a reason for the removal. We will then refrain from making your article available in the project affiliated repositories & inform your publisher about your decision.

8. What is long-term preservation?

Cultural heritage institutions are using specific preservation strategies to preserve physical collections, like climate control in depots of museums. There are also preservation strategies for digital objects - like articles of e-Journals - to keep the integrity and authenticity of these objects safe. Because of the limited duration of information carriers and the software and hardware, the techniques and procedures for long-term storage and accessibility requirements need to be adjusted and improved constantly. This is of high importance to provide permanent access to the digital content on different platforms and/or file formats.