Copyright and Permissions
Content
Preprint (working paper): early version of paper, before or during peer review. A paper that is not yet accepted for publication. Many authors post preprints to scholarly collaboration networks, such as SSRN to gather feedback from peers and to create momentum around an article. If there is demand for a preprint, it is usually an indication the accepted version of the article will be well received.
Accepted paper: paper that has gone through peer review (open, single-blind, or double-blind) and is accepted for publication in a journal. At acceptance, most authors transfer the copyright to the publisher.
Version of record (VoR): final, edited, accepted paper. The “version of record” is the one that will be published.
Reuse:
A preprint can be posted anywhere until it is accepted for publication. Upon acceptance, authors transfer the copyright to the American Accounting Association. At that time, authors can update their postings of preprints by adding the citation of the accepted version of the publication along with its DOI or by removing all previous versions and updating the citation with the final version of the article with its DOI. In most cases, the accepted version of scholarly articles has reuse restrictions and/or embargoes related to their distribution, and the DOI helps manage access.
FAQ
Q. I need help to prepare my manuscript for submission. Does American Accounting Association provide any manuscript preparation support?
A. Yes, American Account Association, in partnership with Editage, provides language editing and manuscript formatting services to support authors in preparing their manuscripts for submission. Click Here to get started.
Note, the use of these services in no way guarantees publication.
Q. I would like to reuse a figure from The Accounting Review in my article. Who grants permission?
A. The American Accounting Association grants permission, and the Copyright Clearance Center (http://copyright.com) manages permission and reuse requests for the association. In the upper right-hand corner of Copyright Clearance Center’s home screen, enter the ISSN, publication title, or DOI to locate the content and simply answer questions regarding your request to complete the transaction. After permission is granted, the requestor will receive an email approval and the license to reuse.
Q. Can an author deposit his article (even the accepted version) in his institution’s repository?
A. Yes. Authors can archive a copy of their article in their institution’s database. Many institutions, domestic and international, are now requiring their scholars to archive their work in their institution’s repository. This is not a permission issue, per se, because they do not intend to publish or distribute the work. If the repository is fully open access, those librarians are usually aware of publisher requirements regarding how to properly archive the article (full citation with DOI link), and in some cases, there may be embargoes (period of time in which the work cannot be posted).
Q. Can I share my article with students in my classroom?
A. Yes. However, this request warrants a review. If a professor wants to share within her class – no problem. If she wants to create an online course with her case study to distribute nationally or internationally, permission and license fee for reuse are required.
Q. Do I have to remove my paper from SSRN when my article is accepted for publication?
A. No. But authors should manage the previous versions of an article on SSRN. This can be done one of two ways: 1) by adding the full citation & VoR DOI to the article, that is, updating the posting; or 2) by removing the preprint(s) and including the abstract/metadata, proper citation, and DOI of the final version of the accepted article. The DOI controls access, is the persistent home of the article, and tracks the data on article.
Q. Can I email a colleague my published paper?
A. Yes, copyright management is not intended to stop the flow of discovery or obstruct collaboration. It is there to protect the intellectual property of scholars and publishers by ensuring a version of your paper is not distributed widely without obtaining the proper license and reuse fees.
Q. I would like to republish my article in a book with another publisher. How do I go about this?
A. This is a republication request. Copyright Clearance Center manages these requests and after you have completed the required information, approval is needed from the American Accounting Association. There are fees and reuse licenses required to republish AAA work in other publications.
Q. I am writing a paper and would like to reuse a figure that was created under a Creative Commons license. Does this mean I do not have to seek permission?
A. No. It means the person seeking permission will not have to pay to copy, display, or distribute the figure. Permission should be requested and the holder of the Creative Commons license will ensure the work is cited properly, and in some cases, forward the CC-BY license to the requestor.