Smithsonian public access policy

Agreement

The Smithsonian Institution opens in new tab/window has issued a public access plan opens in new tab/window designed as an extension of its mission to ‘increase and diffuse knowledge’. Through the new plan, applicable publications and supporting data resulting from federally supported research will be made publicly available. The plan applies primarily to peer-reviewed journal articles submitted for publication from 1 October 2015 onwards.

Authors whose research results are subject to the Smithsonian Institution’s plan and who publish with Elsevier can comply with this policy by choosing either a green or gold route to open access publication.

Gold open access

Elsevier provides open access publishing options which also enable authors to comply with the Smithsonian Institution public access plan and ensure that the final version of the article will be immediately available to everyone.

Researchers can choose to publish open access in more than 1900 established journals that support open access opens in new tab/window as well as in more than 700 fully open access journals opens in new tab/window. All publication fees required to make an article available through gold open access are to be paid by article authors. Elsevier will enable access to the final articles immediately to everyone through the CHORUS service opens in new tab/window.

Journals published by The Lancet (except Lancet Global Health) are not eligible for the gold open access option. Authors should comply through the green open access option above.

Green open access

Researchers who choose to publish with Elsevier under the subscription business model will be able to comply via the green route to open access. Elsevier will make the accepted manuscript version of applicable articles publicly available in perpetuity through the CHORUS service opens in new tab/window after a 12-month embargo period expires.

The CHORUS service, which provides a sustainable solution for agencies and publishers to deliver perpetual public access to published articles reporting on funded research in the United States, also has the benefit of presenting the best available version of the article to users, many of whom may already have access to the final published journal article rather than only the accepted manuscript.