Open Access Policy

Open Access Policy

Norteamérica Open Access Policy

The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) has been a pioneer in promoting Open Access, endorsing the Berlin Declaration on August 22, 2006, to ensure universal, free, and open access to its academic, scientific, technological, and cultural digital content. In alignment with UNAM’s Open Access Policy, formalized in the Agreement of September 10, 2015, Norteamérica, academic journal of the Center for Research on North America (CISAN) at UNAM, is fully committed to providing immediate and free access to all its content, fostering the global exchange of knowledge through open dissemination of research.

Norteamérica adheres to UNAM’s mission to make research freely available to the public without financial or legal barriers. Until 2023, all content published in the journal was licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Since 2023, the journal has adopted the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) to allow broader use, including commercial purposes, while maintaining proper attribution. The licenses permit users to:

  • Share: Copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
  • Adapt: Remix, transform, and build upon the material (non-commercial purposes under CC BY-NC 4.0; any purpose under CC BY 4.0).

Users must provide appropriate credit to the author(s), include a link to the applicable license, and acknowledge Norteamérica as the original source of publication.

No Fees for Authors or Readers

Norteamérica does not charge authors any fees for the submission, evaluation, editing, publication, or distribution of their articles, nor does it pay authors for their contributions. Similarly, readers access all content free of charge, reflecting the journal’s commitment to removing financial barriers to knowledge dissemination.

Dissemination and Accessibility

To maximize the visibility and impact of its published works, Norteamérica actively disseminates content through open access indexing services and repositories compatible with the Open Archives Initiative-Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH). Authors are encouraged to deposit their published articles in institutional or personal repositories, provided they adhere to the terms of the applicable license and acknowledge the journal as the original publication source.

User Rights and Responsibilities

Under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (before 2023), users could:

  • Read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, and link to the full texts of articles.
  • Use the content for academic, educational, or research purposes, provided the use is non-commercial.
  • Cite the original source and author(s) in accordance with the license terms.

Under the CC BY 4.0 license (since 2023), users can perform the same actions for any purpose, including commercial use, provided proper attribution is given.

Norteamérica upholds UNAM’s Open Access Policy by ensuring that all digital content—produced, published, or preserved with university resources—is accessible while respecting authors’ moral rights, intellectual property, and any applicable legal restrictions, such as confidentiality or patent protections.

Integration with Toda la UNAM en Línea

As part of UNAM’s Toda la UNAM en Línea program, Norteamérica’s content is hosted under the unam.mx domain and accessible via the program’s portal (http://www.unamenlinea.unam.mx). This integration enhances the journal’s visibility and ensures its contributions to global knowledge are discoverable through standard search tools and institutional platforms.

By adhering to the the CC BY 4.0 license (since 2023), and UNAM’s Open Access Policy, Norteamérica reaffirms its dedication to advancing open, equitable access to scholarly research, supporting UNAM’s mission to disseminate knowledge for the benefit of society.