Making your research publications Open Access enables anyone with an internet connection to read them (free of charge) and also potentially enables their re-use (with appropriate attribution).
Deposit your publication ‘on acceptance’ in the Middlesex University Research Repository to meet both the HEFCE Policy and the University’s Open Access publications policy.
Further information about Open Access and depositing your work in the repository
To be eligible for the next REF, the author’s accepted manuscript of all journal articles and conference proceedings with ISSNs accepted for publication from 1 April 2016 must be deposited in an institutional or subject repository.
The easiest way to ensure eligibility of your publications for the REF is to ‘act on acceptance’ – put the accepted version* of your work (NOT the published version) in the Middlesex Research Repository – as soon as acceptance for publication is confirmed. This date must be recorded in the repository entry so do this as soon as possible.
The version that must be deposited is the author’s accepted manuscript (AAM), not the final published version. The AAM is the last version sent by the author to the publisher with post-peer review corrections where applicable, not any version sent to the author by the publisher including uncorrected proofs
Publishers usually allow the AAM to be added to the author’s institutional repository free of charge, but with an embargo period when the full text is in the repository but cannot be downloaded. HEFCE allow embargos, but set limits of 12 months for submissions under REF main panels A and B, and 24 months for submissions under REF main panels C and D.
There are exceptions including other publication types, Gold Open Access publications (as long as the Open Access is immediate i.e. on publication) and items published in publications that do not comply with the policy as long as it can be demonstrated this was the most appropriate place for publication.
This policy requires researchers at Middlesex University to:
1) Create a record in the University repository for each of
their research outputs.
2) Where legally permitted, make all research outputs Open
Access upon acceptance for publication, in the University repository, in order
to maximise the visibility of their research.
3) Provide a link to where the full output may be accessed,
in cases where it is not permitted to include it in the repository.
4) Use the phrase “Middlesex University” within the
research output when stating the address of the originating institution.
For further information see the Middlesex University Policy on Open Access Publishing and Open Access Publishing (intranet link – login to access)
The version you can deposit in the Research Repository depends on your publisher’s policy. Ideally it is the version that is post-peer review – though many publishers won’t allow you to deposit the final, formatted publishers PDF version. Often there will be an embargo period determined by your publisher which means that a research output can only be made Open Access after a specific period of time. Different research funders also have expectations on when a publication must become Open Access.
See versions on the Open Access Library subject guide for further information.
Sherpa/RoMEO summarises and links to publisher copyright and self-archiving policies.
Sherpa/JULIET gives information on funders’ open access policies
Sherpa/FACT can be used to check if a journal complies with certain funders’ requirements.
Remember to think about permissions and re-use rights if you have re-used someone else’s content in your work (third party copyright). If you are publishing books, book chapters or reports – check the copyright transfer agreement you have signed.
See Copyright (intranet link – login to view), Intellectual Property (intranet link – login to view) for further information and Creative Commons for more information about these licences.
There are also increased expectations that research data should be made open access (with minimal restrictions on re-use) wherever practicable, aiming to enable the re-use of data unless there are legal, ethical, commercial, intellectual property or other reasons not to do so.
Many research funders including Research Councils UK (RCUK) have policy statements on their requirements. The Concordat on Open Research Data (published in July 2016) proposes a series of clear and practical principles for working with research data. Initial signatories include HEFCE, RCUK, Universities UK and the Wellcome Trust.
See Middlesex University Policy on Research Data Management and for further information about managing research data including ways to make data open access see the University’s Research Data Management web pages.
