Open Access Policies
The next Research Excellence Framework will take place in 2029. Research England will confirm the revised REF 2029 open access policy for articles, conference papers in Autumn / Winter 2024. Implementation of the revised REF open access policy will be no earlier than 1st January 2026 allowing a year between the announcement and implementation. The REF 2021 Open Access Policy submission requirements will continue to apply to journal articles and conference proceedings until succeeded by the new policy. Any output meeting the UKRI Open Access Policy requirements will be recognised as fully meeting REF Open Access requirements with no further steps required.
In Early decisions on REF 2029 Open Access Policy Research England confirmed that open access for long-form publications (book sections, monographs, edited books) will not be implemented for REF 2029. Instead, the REF longform open access requirement will take effect from 1st Jan 2029 i.e. after the REF 2029 submission closes on 31st December 2028. Although there is no longform requirment for REF 2029, authors of outputs from funded research projects or funded studentships must ensure that the form of publishing complies with the funder's open access policy.
REF 2029 will retain the REF 2021 Unit of Assessment structure and will include advisory panels on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Interdisciplinary research. Authors planning to submit journal articles (or conference papers published in conference proceedings with an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)) should verify that any publishers' embargo does not exceed the permitted maximum for the Main REF Panel for their subject discipline. The maximum embargo for Main REF Panels A and B (STEM) is 12 months and for Main REF Panels C and D (Social Sciences and Humanities) the maximum embargo permitted is 24 months. From the 1st April 2016, authors who publish in journals with embargoes that exceed the stated Main REF Panel maximum may not be able to include these articles in the REF 2021 submission unless they can claim an exception.
Publishers also have open access and self-archiving policies for the specific journals they produce and the majority are supporting open access. Publishers may set embargoes to protect their commercial interests. Sherpa/RoMEO contains policy details for 22,000 journals. If the journal you published in is not listed the policy may be published on the publisher's website or you can contact the publisher's permissions office or nominated agent.
The UKRI's open access policy applies to publications that are based on UKRI funded research. From Jan 2024 the policy includes long-form publications ie monographs, chapters and edited books published on or after the 1st Jan 2024 (some exceptions are permitted eg existence of a pre 2024 contract to publish). UKRI have provided a fund of £3.5 million per annum for which research organisations can apply for on behalf of authors whose research is funded by UKRI and which is within scope of the long-form open access policy. There are limits on the amount of funding an author can claim per output and per research grant. The maximum amounts per output type include VAT @ 20%. Applications for UKRI open research fund open on 30th Nov 2023 and are made by an author's employing research organisation (includes HEIs). UKRI funded student publications that are based on their PhD are also eligible for funding. UKRI open access publication funds are paid to the HEI retrospectively on confirmation of publication and funds are administered by the research organisation.
UKRI Open Access Policy for longform publications The UKRI has provided guidance on the scope of the long-form OA policy, there are a variety of ways to meet the policy requirements, a choice of licenses, and defined maximum embargo periods are permitted within the policy. UKRI have provided comprehensive guidance on rights clearance and licensing of 3rd party copyright material included in published works. Research articles are not within scope of the long-form open access policy. University of Gloucestershire UKRI funded researchers and UKRI sponsored students are able to use current read and publish deals subscribed to by the University, check the terms and conditions carefully before submitting your article.
Applications for long-form publication funding can be submitted from 30th Nov 2023. The application is submitted by the nominated institutional contact (to be confirmed). Application is via a 2 stage process and both stages must be completed. The purpose of Stage 1 is to give the author and the research organisation assurance before a legal contract is signed that the output is eligible to be supported. Register monographs, book chapters and edited collections for UKRI open access funding (Stage 1) Funds are not allocated for publications at Stage 1. Funding is only guaranteed following successful submission of a Stage 2 application for reimbursement. Stage 2 of the submission provides confirmation that open access publication has taken place in a form that conforms fully with the policy and a publication URL must be provided. UKRI will check compliance with its OA policy. Claims for reimbursement of costs are dealt with by UKRI in either June of Dec each year commencing in June 2024.
The University of Gloucestershire Open Access Policy outlines the requirements for University employees and provides guidance to authors and creators to assist in achieving compliance with potentially multiple open access policies.
The Research Repository is the main reporting tool for Research Excellence Framework (REF).
