University Journals: Consolidating Institutional Repositories in a Free Open Access Publication Platform

Funders increasingly mandate researchers to publish their scientific articles open access and to retain their copyright. Universities all over the world use repositories for the preservation and dissemination of academic production of their institutions, including scientific articles, datasets, and other research outputs. However, in general, authors do not find institutional repositories very attractive and accessible as an open access publication platform since repositories are not part of the rewarding system. We expect that researchers are more likely to publish and deposit their scientific papers in a repository, once they have the appearance, recognition and dissemination of a scientific journal.

University libraries from five European countries started a collaboration to set up University Journals as an alternative to the current journal system that require authors to transfer their copyright, or charge article processing charges. If a scientific paper in a repository is submitted to and accepted by University Journals, the article will be automatically transformed into a publication in this newly accredited platform. By building on the existing repository infrastructure and publishing expertise of the participating universities, University Journals requires only modest resources, while the journal format will help ensure the commitment and acceptance by academic authors.