[Insight-developers] OPEN ACCESS: Science Commons: Scholar's Copyright Agreement

[Luis Ibanez]

     How to ensure that you can comply with the mandatory
     NIH Public Access Policy when you sign up (give away)
     your copyright to publishers.



Use the Scholar's Copyright Addendum Engine
============================================

            http://scholars.sciencecommons.org/


The Scholar's Copyright Addendum Engine will help you generate a PDF
form that you can attach to a journal publisher's copyright agreement to
ensure that you retain certain rights.



Immediate Access:
=================

You retain sufficient rights to post a copy of the published version of
your article (usually in pdf form) online immediately to a site that
does not charge for access to the article. (This is similar in many ways
to the MIT Copyright Amendment below)


Delayed Access:
===============

You also have the right immediately to post your final version of the
article, as edited after peer review, to a site that does not charge for
access to the article, but you must arrange not to make the published
version of your article available to the public until six months after
the date of publication.



Procedure:
==========

Go To:

         http://scholars.sciencecommons.org/

# Fill up the form at the bottom of the page.

# Save the PDF addendum that is generated.

# Print the addendum, and sign and date it.

# Sign and date the publisher's agreement. Immediately below
   your signature on the publisher's form, write:

        "Subject to attached Addendum."

This is very important because you want to make clear that your
signature is a sign that you accept the publisher's agreement
only if the publisher accepts you Addendum.

# Make a copy of all three documents (the publisher's form, your
Addendum, and your cover letter) for your records.

# Staple the three original documents together.

# Mail the three original documents to the publisher.