Research support - Open access explained
 
 
Why do we need open access publishing?
How does open access publishing work?
What does open access publishing mean for researchers?
When will this happen?

Why do we need open access publishing?

Open access simply aims to allow everyone free electronic access to published peer-reviewed research.

Open access journals started in the sciences, but have become much more widespread now, across all disciplines. There are also further levels of open access which relate to the usage of less restrictive copyright licences.

Making research outputs available open access may also increase the readership and number of citations.

Government policy
has encouraged the development of open access publishing and other open access initiatives.

RCUK has also issued an open access policy.

HEFCE's open access policy has introduced requirements for researchers submitting research outputs to the post-2014 REF (Research Excellence Framework) to ensure that journal and conference paper outputs are made open access as of 1 April 2016. There are a number of specific requirements for researchers in their policy which you need to comply with to ensure that your research outputs are eligible for REF submission. HEFCE's open access Policy Guide web pages have some very helpful information on open access.

Newman's Open Access policy encourages the use of green open access publishing for Newman researchers. Further information is available here.

How does open access publishing work?

As open access becomes a reality, journal publishing is in a transition period, moving away from traditional publishing where journals are paid for by subscriptions by institutions and individuals to other open access publishing models. The main types of open access journal publishing are:

• Green open access publishing requires time not money. Journal publishers usually embargo free open access to articles for a period of time. If articles are published in a repository, this method is sometimes also called 'self-archiving'.

• Gold open access publishing requires money not time. Article Processing Charges (APCs) are paid by authors or institutions to allow immediate publication of articles in gold open access journals.

• Hybrid journals are a mixed economy, usually a mixture of traditional subscription published articles and Gold APC payment articles within the same journal.

Our Glossary and FAQs may help you to make sense of open access and many of the terms used above. You can also ask for help and advice from your Academic Services Librarian.

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What does open access publishing mean for researchers?

If you are submitting to the REF the HEFCE requirements on open access, will affect how you publish your research outputs. Your funder may also require you to comply with their open access policy. You need to check that the journal you intend to publish in will allow you to comply with HEFCE and your funder's requirements.

Our web page 'What do I need to do? Publish research with open access and deposit it in Newman’s repository' will help you with this process, with some useful information on requirements, tools to help you check whether your funder and journal are compatible in relation to open access, guidance on which research outputs need to be submitted to a repository and information on how to do this.

When will this happen?

Open access impacted on your research outputs for the REF from 1 April 2016.

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