Research Publishing

Steps for authors

Use the steps below as a checklist for research publications covered by the QA237 Research Publishing Policy (applies to all staff and students of the University of Galway. It covers research publications such as journal articles, conference papers, books, book chapters, monographs and reports. Artistic, creative and literary works are recognised as essential research outputs but are excluded from the mandatory elements.)

1. Plan publishing outlet and open route

• Identify suitable journals, conferences or presses that are recognised in your field. Check College or School guidance or publishing strategies (Example of Utrecht University Toolkit for College Publishing Strategies) and the curated lists of domain-leading outlets (Internal Access) managed by the Research and Innovation Committee
• Decide how the output will be made openly available, taking into account funder and policy requirements. See Routes to Open Publishing for repository-led (Green), APC-free (Diamond), and immediate publisher-hosted open access options
• Check for eligibility under national read-and-publish and other open publishing agreements. The National Deals for APCs page sets out current agreements and conditions, including the need to assert University of Galway affiliation.

If you are unsure about a journal, publisher, or press, consult Library guidance on responsible journal selection and predatory publishing or ask for individual advice from experts in publishing in the Library.

2. Before you submit

• Use 'University of Galway' as your primary affiliation on the manuscript and in your ORCID record, where relevant.
• Make sure you will have the correct Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) file, required metadata (authors, funder, grant, DOI), and permissions for any third-party content so you can deposit in the local Research Repository without delay on acceptance or publication.
• Under the Research Publishing Policy, Rights Retention allows eligible Author Accepted Manuscripts (AAMs) to be made openly available in the University of Galway Research Repository under CC BY. If a publisher raises a question or objection, email researchservices@universityofgalway.ie.
• If legal, ethical, security, or commercial issues may require immediate open access to be postponed, email researchservices@universityofgalway.ie before submission where possible.

3. When your publication is accepted

• Deposit your Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM), or the permitted Version of Record where appropriate, to your publication record in CRIS on acceptance. Do not wait until publication.
• Check that the publication metadata are correct, including DOI, funder, and grant information where applicable.
• Eligible validated records and files are transferred from CRIS to the University of Galway Research Repository. Research Services checks the file, metadata, rights, and Rights Retention status as part of the repository workflow. When in the Research Repository, we connect with global discoverability services to make your research openly available to readers worldwide, including those without subscription access.
• If you need help with the deposit process, contact Research Services.

4. After deposit

The Library will:

• Verify that an appropriate version has been deposited and check metadata
• Check any exception requests, copyright and licence information
• Make the deposited version openly available under the policy and any approved embargo
• Register DOIs for items where appropriate and ensure metadata are harvested by national and international discovery services. 

You do not need to repeat these steps on other repository platforms unless required by a specific funder or collaborator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not paying vs paying: What do I do

Paying an Article Processing Charge (APC) can buy immediate publisher-hosted open access. It is not the only compliant route. Research Repository/CRIS deposit (Green) and APC-free venues (Diamond) often meet policy needs without author payment.

If you do not pay

• Publish and deposit AAM (or permitted version) in the Research Repository/CRIS (Green)
• Use Diamond OA where a suitable venue exists in your field
• Rely on read-and-publish agreements (National APC deals via IRel) where eligible (APC covered centrally)
• Watch embargoes and rights, and find out more about rights-retention.

If you pay (APC or similar)

• Immediate open access on the publisher site (e.g. Gold or Hybrid)
• Licence terms may be standardised (often Creative Commons, depends on journal)
• Central payment eligibility may depend on the APC quota, publisher agreements, and affiliation check
• Still deposit in Research Repository (Green).

How to choose where and how to publish

The policy expects authors to exercise due diligence and avoid outlets that engage in deceptive or poor practices. Outputs in questionable outlets may be ineligible for internal support or excellence-focused initiatives. For support with selecting an appropriate publication outlet:

• Start with the Routes to Open Publishing guide for an overview of repository-led, Diamond, and publisher-hosted open access options.
• Use the Submit publication to Research Repository guidance and the University of Galway Research Repository page for deposit instructions and repository information.
• Check the National Deals for APCs page for information on publisher agreements, quotas, eligibility and how to take advantage of read-and-publish deals.
• Consult the Guides for information on quality indicators, predatory publishing and tools such as DOAJ, Think. Check. Submit., and major indexing services.
• If you plan to publish a book, chapter, or other long-form output, you can also discuss options with OpenPress at University of Galway.

Do co-authors at other universities have to follow the University of Galway Research Publishing Policy?

No. This policy applies to all staff and students of the University of Galway. Where a publication includes a University of Galway author, that author should comply with the requirements of this policy. Co-authors at other institutions are not subject to this policy as an institutional requirement, but should be made aware where a University of Galway author intends to make the Author Accepted Manuscript or Version of Record openly available through the University of Galway Research Repository (via CRIS) in accordance with the University of Galway Research Publishing policy.

If the lead or corresponding author is at another university, does a University of Galway co-author still need to follow the policy?

Yes. This policy applies to University of Galway staff and students, including where they are a co-author rather than the lead or corresponding author. A University of Galway co-author should therefore comply with the requirements of this policy, including deposit of the Author Accepted Manuscript or Version of Record on acceptance for publication in the University of Galway Research Repository (via CRIS). This should be raised with co-authors at an early stage so that the publication can proceed in a way that enables compliance with the policy.

How to meet policy and funder requirements

The Research Publishing Policy sets out University-level expectations for the open availability of research publications, alignment with external policies, and the use of institutional infrastructure, such as the Research Repository and CRIS. As an author, you should:

• Ensure that each publication carries a clear statement on how others can access underlying research data, software or materials, where appropriate
• Use 'University of Galway' as the primary affiliation for outputs arising from University employment or student research, including in persistent identifiers such as ORCID
• Follow funder-specific open publishing rules and licence requirements. The Open Publishing Guide explains the major funder policies and how they interact with University supports.

What if there are substantial grounds for postponement of immediate open availability?

Requests to postpone immediate open availability must be made under the Research Publishing Policy exceptions process. If you anticipate legal, ethical, security, commercial or other overriding public-interest grounds, contact researchservices@universityofgalway.ie before submission where possible. The AAM or permitted Version of Record must still be deposited on acceptance. Exception requests are considered through the University's Research Publishing Policy governance process.