What is required by UC’s open access policies? 
UC’s open access policies name the author’s final version as the version of choice for deposit. This version, sometimes called the author accepted manuscript or postprint, is the version that has been submitted to the journal, undergone peer review and corrections (if applicable), but has not been typeset or formatted nor is it the version that is available for download on the publisher’s website.
In general, we recommend using the latest version of your article you have that hasn’t been formatted by the publisher. If you used Microsoft Word to write the article, then that version will probably be a Word .DOC(X) -- or a PDF saved from that document.
If the version you’re looking at has the look and feel of the journal and the publisher’s copyright notice on it, it’s probably the wrong version. But you also may be able to deposit it -- see below.
How do I find my author’s final version (accepted manuscript)?
If you no longer have your author’s final version, you may be able to retrieve a copy from the review system used by the journal in which it was published. The nonprofit group OurResearch has created a guide on their Open Access Button website which explains how to download the author’s final version (referred to in the guide as an AAM) of an article from some of the most commonly used journal systems: Direct2AAM.
Can I deposit the publisher’s version (published version)?
UC’s open access policies name the author’s final version as the version of choice for deposit, but some publishers are comfortable with (or even prefer) authors posting the publisher-formatted PDF. SHERPA/RoMEO maintains a database of journal policies on self archiving. When you get to the deposit page, check the SHERPA/RoMEO advice for information specific to that journal. If the Published tab reads that the locations “Any website” or “Institutional repository” are permitted, then you are safe to deposit the publisher’s version of your article.
(Note: Often a requirement is that the publisher’s version and/or DOI be linked. The publisher version’s DOI will almost always be included when you deposit your article to eScholarship. If you do not see the publisher’s version’s DOI, contact your campus open access policy support team for assistance.)
* Source: Adapted from Thomas Shafee, “Preprint postprint published”, Wikimedia Commons (2020).
