University of Jyväskylä adopts the prior licence model to secure the right to self-archive articles without embargo
The University of Jyväskylä has adopted the prior licence model by decision of the Rector (235/07.04.00.00/2026). The model follows the internationally adopted Rights Retention Strategy (RRS), ensuring that all peer-reviewed research articles affiliated with the university are made openly available in the university’s institutional repository JYX under a Creative Commons licence immediately upon publication.
The prior licence model is based on the recommendations of the international Plan S initiative. Its aim is to secure researchers’ right to archive their article for long-term preservation in the university’s institutional repository and to disseminate it openly, regardless of any restrictions imposed by publishers. The model strengthens knowledge security and supports economic sustainability. It will also increase open access to academic publications, creating new opportunities—such as advancing the development of artificial intelligence tools and methodologies.
How does the prior licence model work?
The prior licence model applies to manuscripts submitted on or after 1 March 2026. These publications will be made immediately available in the University of Jyväskylä’s institutional repository, JYX, under a Creative Commons licence.
The model covers only peer-reviewed articles published in a scientific journal, conference proceedings, or scholarly edited volume (publication types A1–A4).
The procedure depends on whether the article is published openly under a CC licence or behind a paywall:
If the article is published behind a paywall in a subscription-based channel, the final peer-reviewed manuscript (Accepted Manuscript) will be self-archived under a CC licence immediately after the official article is published.
For publications that have not been published as open access, you need to submit the Author Accepted Manuscript (AM, AAM, also known as final draft), for self-archiving. You can send the AAM of your publication by email to jyx@jyu.fi if your publication is already recorded, or by attaching the AAM to the Converis form if you are submitting a missing publication.
If the manuscript is not the output of a research project funded by a funder that requires immediate open access, the researcher has the right, if they so wish, to request an exception to the pior licence model (opt-out). In such cases, the article will be opened according to the publisher’s self-archiving policy, which may include an embargo period.
If the article is already published openly under a CC licence, the publisher’s final version (Version of Record) will be self-archived. In these cases, the prior licence model does not change current practices, and the library will handle the deposit automatically.
Authors do not need to inform the publisher about the prior licence model themselves. The University of Jyväskylä has described the use of this model and communicated it on its website. If a publisher challenges a researcher who is adhering to the prior licence model for breaching the terms of a publishing agreement, the University of Jyväskylä will assume legal and financial responsibility for the researcher affiliated with the university. Affiliation criteria have been specified in the principles publishing at the University of Jyväskylä.
For more information, please contact the Open Science Centre Publishing Services: rrs-info@jyu.fi
