Frequently Asked Questions

Uploading to WRAP basics

Q: What version should I put on WRAP?

A: The accepted version. This is the version after the peer review process and incorporating any changes. It is the version before copy-editing and publisher's formatting. With your accepted version you have more copyright freedom in sharing online.

Q: How long does it take to upload a paper to WRAP?

A: If you have the acceptance email to hand and a peer-reviewed copy of the paper, you can do it in a couple of minutes! Papers will usually appear on WRAP within 2-4 weeks.

Q: Can someone else upload papers for me?

A: Yes they can, but in practise it is generally quickly and simpler to do it yourself, as there are a few questions which require first-hand knowledge.

Q: Who's responsiblity is it to submit the paper to WRAP?

A: It is every author's responsibility to make sure that the final accepted manuscript is uploaded to WRAP. Where a paper is co-authored by several Warwick researchers, only one of them needs to upload the paper to WRAP. If a paper involves authors at more than one UK institution, the accepted manuscript must be uploaded to each institution’s repository.

Q: Does each Warwick author have to submit?

A: No, co-ordinate with colleagues to make sure one author deposits and identify Warwick authors during submission, which will ensure they are ‘tagged’ in WRAP.

Q. What if I don't have the final accepted manuscript?

You need to ask the corresponding author or your co-authors for the final accepted manuscript so that you can upload it. Alternatively, the journal may be able to provide you with a copy that you can use.

When asking non-UK authors for the final accepted manuscript you can use the following explanation:

The UK's Higher Education Funding Council for England requires UK authors to deposit the final accepted manuscript in their institutional repository. The manuscript, which is version of the article that was peer-reviewed but without publisher's typesetting, will be made open access after the delay period, according to the publisher's policy. Meeting this requirement has a significant impact on future funding.

Q: I've noticed an error in a WRAP record - what do I do?

A: You can request a change via the website: click here to go straight to the page. Alternatively you can email publications@live.warwick.ac.uk with the details, and they will amend the record for you.

Gold OA and OA Journals

Q: I'm publishing using Gold Access; do I still need to upload to WRAP?

A: Yes. Although Gold Open Access (if published under a CC licence) satisfies the policy, the Unversity of Warwick requires that all papers be submitted to WRAP. The University will be using WRAP to monitor publications and to plan the next REF submission. It is also worth noting that WRAP is a excellent way to publicise work, as it will improve your Google rankings..

Q: I'm publishing in an Open Access journal; do I still need to upload to WRAP?

A: Yes, as per Gold Access.

Q: If the Green Access embargo period is longer than 3 months, do I have to pay for Gold Access instead?

A: The terms of the REF2021 policy require that, if audited, that we can prove that the paper arrived with the WRAP team within the 3 months following acceptance. However the actual open access to the paper is determined by the embargo period – which is allowed to be up to 12 months for STEM subjects, up to 24 months for Humanities and Social Sciences and up to 24 months for anything that might be considered interdisciplinary.

If papers that have longer embargo periods than is usually acceptable, REF2021 will allow us to use an exception for that paper but the WRAP team would need additional information from the author to complete the exception. HEFCE have stressed that institutions shouldn’t have to pay ‘gold’ open access fees unless they want to.

Policy Issues

Q: Won't I break copyright rules by uploading certain papers to WRAP?

A: The Library team check the rules for each publisher before uploading. In most cases an 'author accepted version' is allowable (post-print, the version after peer review changes have been made, but before journal copy-editing, final page numbers and publisher’s layout and is often still in Word document format or similar). This is the recommended version to upload.

Q: Does the three-month policy include conference papers?

A: Yes, if they are published as part of a journal with an ISSN.