📂 Author Self-Archiving Policy

GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences (GSCBPS) supports the responsible dissemination of scientific knowledge and recognizes the importance of author self-archiving in increasing the accessibility, visibility, and long-term preservation of published research. Authors are encouraged to share their scholarly work responsibly while respecting the journal's publication policies and maintaining the integrity of the official published version.

This Author Self-Archiving Policy explains how authors may archive, share, and distribute different versions of their manuscripts before and after publication. The policy is designed to help authors comply with institutional, funding agency, and research organization requirements while ensuring that readers are directed to the official published article whenever possible.

The policy applies to all research articles published in GSCBPS, including original research articles, review articles, systematic reviews, short communications, case reports, technical notes, and other accepted manuscript types.

📖 What is Author Self-Archiving?

Author self-archiving is the practice of depositing a copy of a research manuscript in a personal website, institutional repository, subject repository, departmental archive, or other non-commercial research platform. Self-archiving increases the accessibility of scholarly work and supports the wider dissemination of scientific knowledge while preserving the integrity of the official published version.

Many universities, funding agencies, and research institutions encourage or require authors to archive their publications in institutional repositories as part of their Open Access or research dissemination policies.

📄 Versions of a Manuscript

Different stages of a manuscript may be archived under different conditions. The following definitions are used throughout this policy:

✅ Self-Archiving Policy

🌍 Where Authors May Archive Their Work

Authors may archive eligible manuscript versions through appropriate academic and non-commercial platforms, including:

• 🏛️ Institutional repositories.
• 🎓 University digital libraries.
• 👨‍💼 Personal academic webpages.
• 🔬 Departmental repositories.
• 📚 Subject-specific repositories.
• 💻 Non-commercial scholarly networking platforms where permitted.

📋 Conditions for Author Self-Archiving

Authors may self-archive permitted versions of their manuscripts provided that the archived copy is shared accurately, responsibly, and in accordance with the journal’s copyright and licensing policies.

When depositing or sharing a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

• ✅ The title, author names, affiliations, and other bibliographic information are accurate.
• ✅ The archived manuscript clearly identifies its version as a preprint, accepted manuscript, or published Version of Record.
• ✅ The official journal citation is added after publication.
• ✅ The permanent Crossref DOI link to the published article is included wherever available.
• ✅ The archived copy is not presented as a different, revised, or officially published version unless authorized by the journal.
• ✅ Copyright, licensing, ethical, and third-party permissions are respected.
• ✅ Any correction, retraction, or post-publication notice issued by the journal is reflected in the repository record where possible.

🔗 Citation and DOI Requirements

After an article has been published, all archived versions should include a complete citation to the official publication. Authors should also provide a direct link to the Version of Record using the article’s Crossref Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

The recommended statement is:

Including the DOI helps readers locate the final published article, access any corrections or updates, and cite the research accurately.

📄 Identifying the Archived Manuscript Version

Authors should clearly label the version being deposited so that readers can distinguish it from the final published article.

⏳ Embargo Period

GSCBPS does not normally require an embargo period for the responsible self-archiving of permitted manuscript versions. Authors may deposit eligible versions in appropriate repositories in accordance with this policy and the applicable article licence.

Where an institution, funding body, repository, or third-party agreement imposes additional conditions, authors are responsible for ensuring compliance with those requirements.

🏛️ Institutional and Funder Repositories

Authors may deposit permitted manuscript versions in institutional or funder-designated repositories to meet Open Access, research assessment, grant-reporting, or institutional preservation requirements.

Repository records should include:

• 📄 Article title.
• 👨‍🔬 Full author names.
• 🏛️ Institutional affiliations.
• 📚 Journal title.
• 📅 Publication year.
• 📖 Volume, issue, and page or article details.
• 🔗 Permanent Crossref DOI.
• 📝 A clear description of the deposited manuscript version.
• 📜 Copyright and licence information where applicable.

Providing complete metadata improves accurate discovery, citation, repository integration, and long-term access.

💻 Personal and Academic Websites

Authors may share permitted manuscript versions on personal academic webpages, university profiles, laboratory websites, departmental pages, and other non-commercial scholarly platforms.

After publication, the webpage or repository record should direct readers to the official article through its DOI. Authors should avoid presenting an unformatted manuscript as though it were the final journal-published article.

🌐 Scholarly Networking Platforms

Authors may share eligible manuscript versions through non-commercial scholarly networking platforms, subject to the platform’s terms and the journal’s copyright and licensing policies.

Authors should verify that the platform does not alter, commercially redistribute, sell, or republish the manuscript in a manner that conflicts with the applicable publication licence.

Where possible, authors are encouraged to share the article citation, abstract, and permanent DOI link rather than uploading duplicate or modified copies of the Version of Record.

📜 Copyright and Licensing

Self-archiving does not transfer or modify copyright ownership, publication rights, or licensing terms. Authors must comply with the licence under which the article has been published and with the journal’s Copyright & Licensing Policy.

Any reuse, adaptation, translation, commercial distribution, or republication must comply with the applicable article licence and attribution requirements.

🖼️ Third-Party Material

Figures, photographs, tables, illustrations, datasets, questionnaires, or other content reproduced from third-party sources may be subject to separate copyright restrictions.

Permission to publish third-party material in a journal article does not automatically grant permission to redistribute that material through a repository or another platform. Authors are responsible for obtaining any additional permissions required for self-archiving.

🔄 Corrections, Retractions and Updated Records

When a published article is corrected, retracted, or otherwise updated, authors should ensure that archived records direct readers to the official Version of Record and the relevant journal notice.

Authors should not independently alter the archived manuscript in a way that creates an unofficial revised version. Any substantive post-publication correction should be handled through the journal’s formal editorial process.