You should have a metadata record. If you only have a file such as PDF, but no metadata record, web search to find the metadata record. If you have a metadata record but not a file, use the metadata record to open the file if possible. If you have a link that misdirects or is broken, you must still process the item–simply search for a metadata record and/or PDF.
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- The determination of whether an item is free is based on whether the publisher is making the item available for free or if the U.S. government is making an item available for free. There may be free versions posted elsewhere, but if an item is not free on the publisher's site, or in a U.S. government database, it's not free.
- When working at home, any item you can access on the publisher's site or in a database without using the proxy server is free.
- Items available for free in the U.S. government database, ERIC, eric.edu.gov, (works on education), Medline/PubMed, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/ (medical works), and the NASA Technical Report Server, https://www.sti.nasa.gov/ (NASA Publications and NASA employee publications), are free. Sometimes articles in these databases are free, and sometimes they're not free, so you have to figure this out. A pubmed record may have a link icon that says free or an attached pdf. When unsure if an item is free or not, simply try the links to find out.
- When working in the library, materials in databases that UMBC subscribes to may appear free when they are not. These are paywall protected pages where anyone accessing via UMBC IP ranges automatically is given access. Generally if there is a UMBC logo or mention of UMBC on the page, it's a subscription resource that is paywall protected. A list of UMBC paywall protected subscription resources that appear free is here: Vendors/Platforms that are Paywall Protected (this list is likely not complete–if come across something that needs to be added to it, let Michelle know). Individual items on paywall protected sites are free if the record explicitly states that the item is open access, available for free, or is on a Creative Commons license. Science Direct is a subscription database and not free, even though UMBC isn't mentioned on it, unless the record says it's Under an Elsevier user license, or Open Access, in which case that particular item is free. If Open Access, check for a Creative Commons license or terms.
- If an item is free on the publisher's site or in a U.S. government database, write "free" next to it.
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- If the work or record states what version it is, that is what it is.
- If you can't determine whether something is a preprint or postprint, handle as , assume that it's the version that you can post. If you can post either, assume that it's a preprint.
- A publisher's proof isn't isn't a preprint, postprint, or final published version. We don't accept these.
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