Compliance with RCUK Open Access Policy from 1 April 2013 | Library News

"The new RCUK Policy on Open Access will come into effect on 1 April 2013.  This Policy stipulates that all peer-reviewed research papers arising from RCUK-funded research and submitted for publication after April 1 must be made Open Access. RCUK has a preference for immediate, unrestricted, on-line access to such articles resulting from payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC) to the publisher (the ‘Gold’ route), but Open Access which is achieved through deposit of the Author Final Accepted Manuscript in a repository such as the Queen’s Research Portal (the ‘Green’ route) is also acceptable. From April onwards, it would be very helpful if academic staff create appropriate links in Pure between grant funding and the publications which result as this information will help us to manage these Open Access requirements in the future. Queen’s is in receipt of a small block grant to fund APCs for RCUK-sponsored articles and this fund is being managed by the Library. From 1 April onwards, academic staff should make publication decisions in the usual way while bearing in mind the need to publish in compliant journals. Advice on publisher and journal compliance with funder Open Access requirements is available from the Library. A dedicated e-mail address has been set up to deal with enquiries – openaccess@qub.ac.uk. When an RCUK-funded article is accepted for publication, academic staff should contact this e-mail address, forwarding the e-mail confirming acceptance for publication; Library staff will be able to offer advice on Open Access options and on the availability of funding for APCs. While centrally managed,  each School will be allocated a notional budget according to their RCUK spend the previous year.  Please note that our current funding is unlikely to cover all RCUK sponsored articles and these will have to be prioritised by Schools. Further information on Open Access and details of the RCUK Policy are available from the Library website."