Agreements vary from publisher to publisher which is why it is important to read the document carefully before signing. Many publishers allow posting of articles on the Internet, but sometimes it is difficult to determine if it is permitted. As an example, the publishers below allow authors to post articles but with certain restrictions.
Elsevier
- author can archive pre-print
- author can archive post-print
- cannot use publisher PDF
- must link to journal site or DOI
- published source must be acknowledged
Taylor & Francis
- author can archive post-print
- cannot use publisher PDF
- must be a non-profit server
- must link to publisher version
- 12 month embargo for STM journals
- 18 month embargo for SSH journals
SHERPA/RoMEO is an excellent source for publishers' archiving policies and often includes links to the policy on the publisher's website. They also provide a list of publishers that allow authors to use the publisher PDF.