In order to determine the self-archiving options permitted by the journal in which you will be publishing, you can check its Sherpa Romeo listing.
The Sherpa Romeo listing for a journal includes information on the open-access options for various publishing pathways in an easy-to-understand format under the Publisher Policy section.

2. Understanding Policy Icons
In order to find a suitable pathway, there are a few icons used on Sherpa Romeo that you'll need to understand.
- The exclamation point inside a box indicates that there are prerequisites to be met before publishing in that pathway.
- The British pound sterling symbol indicates that there is an OA fee. These are Gold OA routes rather than Green OA (self-archiving).
- The icon with two pieces of paper and a ribbon on the bottom left indicates that only specific Creative Commons licenses are permitted.
- The file icon indicates permitted deposit locations.
3. Evaluating Pathways
Now that we have an understanding of the symbols used on Sherpa Romeo, let's learn how to interpret them and evaluate various pathways.
- Prerequisites can be general requirements, funder requirements, or subject requirements. If your work does not fulfill the prerequisites, you cannot utilize that publishing pathway.
- If there is an OA fee associated with the publishing pathway, then it is not a self-archiving option. Pass over those pathways.
- Creative Commons licenses with the letters "ND" in them do not permit derivative works. Pass over those pathways.
- Permitted deposit locations can vary fairly widely. Look for pathways that permit deposit in an institutional repository.
4. Select Pathway
Once you have found a suitable pathway, you'll publish your work!
The steps for this will vary by journal, so you'll want to check with your publisher.
5. Embargo Period
Following publication you may have an embargo period on self-archiving. If so, you will need to wait until the embargo period has ended to deposit it in an institutional repository.
6. Required Permissions
Depending upon the terms of your publishing agreement, you may or may not have retained copyright ownership.
If you do own the copyright to your work, your permission is all that is needed to deposit it.
If you do not own the copyright to your work, you will need the written permission of the copyright owner (likely the publisher) to submit your work.
Regardless of who owns the copyright, you will also need to submit a MOspace Non-Exclusive Distribution License.
7. Submission
Now you're ready to submit your work to the MOspace Repository!
Submit your file as a .pdf (for print), .mp3 (for audio), .mpeg (for video), or .jpg, .tif, .gif, or .bmp (for images). The library can also assist with file conversion if necessary. If the size of your file is over 50 MB, please use UMKC's RooBox service. After logging into RooBox, enter umkculmospace@umkc.edu in the "To" field to send the file to the library.
Once we receive your submission, we will convert your item into the appropriate format, assign it metadata, and place it into the appropriate community in MOspace. We will then email you a permanent URL to access your work in MOspace.