GPSS Resolution | Open Access to Research Articles

"WHEREAS, the primary mission of the University of Washington is the advancement, dissemination, and preservation of knowledge; and WHEREAS, the current system for production and distribution of scholarly works is increasingly unsustainable and restricts rather than increases access to and the dissemination of research conducted at the University of Washington; and WHEREAS, open access to scholarly work generated at the University of Washington will contribute to the advancement of the University’s primary mission, as well as increase the public visibility and scholarly impact of the University’s researchers; therefore, LET IT BE RESOLVED, THAT, the GPSS calls upon the faculty of the University of Washington to adopt an open access publications policy that facilitates free and public access to the scholarly peer reviewed articles produced by University of Washington students, staff, and faculty; and THAT, University of Washington students, staff, and faculty provide to the appropriate party of the University, no later than date of publication, an electronic copy of the author’s final version to be deposited in an open access repository; and THAT, this policy applies to all scholarly peer-reviewed articles authored or co-authored by current UW students, staff, or faculty, except for any articles published before the adoption of this policy, as well as any articles for which the student, staff, or faculty member has entered into an incompatible licensing or assignment agreement before the adoption of said policy; and THAT, the University of Washington waives application of this policy for a particular article upon written notification by an author or co-author; and THAT, this policy does not in any way prescribe or limit the venue of publication; and THAT, the University of Washington encourages and supports student, staff, and faculty publication in open access journals; and THAT, the University of Washington Libraries provide relevant, current information regarding journal publishers, pricing, and authors’ rights to departments and individual faculty members; and THAT, the University of Washington continuously evaluate its open access publications policy to ensure that such a policy is most effective at ensuring the public’s access to scholarly peer-reviewed articles produced by University of Washington students, staff, and faculty; and THAT, the University of Washington Administration provide sufficient resources to the Libraries and to academic units to better foster these efforts; and THAT, the GPSS calls upon the Student Senate of the ASUW and the Faculty Senate of the University of Washington to adopt similar resolutions in support of a robust and clearly defined open access policy; and THAT, a copy of this resolution be forwarded to GPSS President Alice Popejoy, ASUW President Christina Xiao, Faculty Senate Chair Kate O’Neill, Interim Director of Information Resources and Scholarly Communication Gordon Aamot, and Vice Provost for Digital Initiatives and Dean of University Libraries Betsy Wilson."