Choose an open-access route by version, location and rights

1. Use the colour to locate the route, then inspect the file

Cambridge describes Gold access as publication of the final version of record under a Creative Commons licence. Green access makes a version available in a repository, commonly the accepted manuscript before publisher editing and formatting. Reuse depends on the applicable terms; a freely readable file does not by itself explain every permitted use.

For your own decision record, put the version and destination in separate columns. A journal page and a repository record may legitimately refer to the same work while carrying different files. Record the relationship instead of treating the second location as a second publication decision. Ask which route meets the particular obligation you are trying to satisfy.

Reference: Cambridge University Press: introduction to open access

2. Resolve three versions of one fictional article

In the invented OA24 example, an author has submitted-draft v01, accepted-manuscript v03 and publisher-version v01. Their version counters belong to different artifacts. The acceptance letter identifies v03; a later publisher PDF does not turn an earlier submitted draft into the accepted manuscript.

Assume, solely for this exercise, that a written agreement permits the accepted manuscript in an institutional repository six months after publication, while the publisher PDF requires separate permission. The draft’s sharing clause has not been obtained. These are fictional clauses, not Cambridge or UKRI terms. The resulting record deliberately leaves two decisions unresolved.

On small screens, scroll the table horizontally, or focus it and use the arrow keys.

3. Calculate a release date only after its starting event is clear

A term measured from publication is not automatically measured from acceptance or from the date you saved a PDF. Write down the event named in the agreement and its evidence. If online-first and issue dates differ and the agreement does not resolve the distinction, ask the publisher or your library which date applies before scheduling public release.

Continue OA24 by assuming the agreement explicitly names first online publication on 15 January 2026 and permits release six calendar months later. Under that invented rule the planned date is 15 July 2026. A repository metadata record created in March can describe the article while its file remains closed. The March record is therefore not evidence that public file access began in March.

4. Check charges independently of the route name

Gold does not establish that an author must pay an article processing charge. On the Cambridge page checked on 15 September 2026, Proceedings of the Design Society offers Gold publication without a publication charge. That is a named journal example, not a promise about another journal or a future submission.

For a real candidate, save the applicable fee page and ask whether the article type, institution, agreement or waiver changes the amount owed by this author. Keep “charge not checked”, “charge stated” and “funding confirmed” as different states. A potential waiver is not an awarded waiver, and permission to share a manuscript does not settle an invoice.

Reference: Cambridge: Proceedings of the Design Society open-access options

5. Match the route to the actual funder obligation

For articles within UKRI’s policy submitted from 1 April 2022, its guidance provides a journal/platform route and an accepted-manuscript repository route with immediate access at publication and CC BY or another permitted licence. This is a specifically UKRI example, not a Saudi or GCC-wide rule; the applicable article and funder conditions still matter.

Compare the obligation with the agreement one field at a time: version, location, timing and licence. In OA24, a hypothetical requirement for immediate access would conflict with the invented six-month delay. Mark that conflict before submission and seek a compatible arrangement. Do not copy a rights statement from an unrelated award and assume it resolves your own contract.

Reference: UKRI: making your research article open access

6. Finish by checking what a reader can actually access

After an authorised deposit and release, open the public record without an institutional session. Confirm that the intended file opens, the version is labelled correctly, the article identity matches and the licence information is visible where expected. Record the date and link of this check. A saved upload receipt proves a different step from a readable public file.

If only the metadata is visible, describe that state accurately and investigate the file setting or scheduled release. Keep a copy of the deposited file and its permission record so a later correction can be traced. This worksheet makes unresolved questions visible; it does not replace interpretation of an actual agreement by the people responsible for it.

Questions for a practical final check

• Name the exact submitted, accepted or published version.
• Record the destination and supporting permission.
• Resolve the event from which any delay runs.
• Check reuse terms and charges separately.
• Compare the actual funder obligation with the route.
• Verify public file access after an authorised release.