Prior licence model at the University of Lapland

The University of Lapland will adopt a prior licence model for peer-reviewed scholarly publications, known internationally as Rights Retention Strategy (RRS).

With prior licensing, researchers always have the right to self archive their peer-reviewed scientific publications in the university’s repository under a Creative Commons license.

The prior licence model applies to publication types A1–A4 in the Ministry of Education and Culture’s publication data collection.

• A1 Journal article (refereed), original research
• A2 Review article, Literature review, Systematic review
• A3 Book section, chapters in research books
• A4 Conference proceedings

The model ensures that all peer-reviewed research articles from the university are openly available immediately after publication, and ensures long-term preservation of research publications.

Prior licencing is voluntary for researchers, but it applies to all A1–A4 publications made with affiliation to the University of Lapland, unless the researcher specifically states otherwise.

The University of Lapland’s prior licence model applies to all peer-reviewed article manuscripts submitted by a researcher affiliated with the University of Lapland to a publication channel for review as of 1 January 2026. The model does not apply to manuscripts submitted for review before 1 January 2026.

Further information and practical instructions can be found on the LUC Library’s guide.