Researcher Support Library Services: UKRI OA Policy
From 1 April 2022 the UKRI Open Access policy is changing for articles. From 2024, the policy will broaden to encompass monographs and chapters. Find out what you need to do:
Not sure? Send us a query
UKRI Open Access Compliance Checking Service
If you're not sure how to make your article compliant with the UKRI open access policy, or want to check your options for a specific journal, simply add your details to the form above and a member of Library staff will get in touch with advice tailored to you.
UKRI Open Access Policy for research articles
UKRI's OA policy is aligned with Plan S principles.
Key points for UKRI-funded articles:
UKRI-funded research articles must be made open access upon publication. This can be achieved in a few different ways:
- Achieving Open Access through a Read & Publish agreement, or
- Using the UKRI APC block grant to cover open access publishing costs in eligible journals:
- Fully Open Access journals, or
- Certain hybrid journals which meet transformative requirements set out by Jisc; or
- Depositing the Accepted Manuscript without an embargo into PEARL. Most publishers will mandate embargos, so researchers opting for this route will either need to seek out a journal with a zero embargo policy, or negotiate with the publisher. (Check your journal's accepted manuscript sharing policy).
A CC-BY license must be applied to the open version of research articles (unless the researcher has successfully applied for an exception, in which case CC-BY-ND may be permitted). CC-BY-NC and CC-BY-NC-ND licenses are not permitted under any circumstances.
A Data Access Statement should accompany published articles.
As was the case with previous policies, your research publications must acknowledge funding received from research councils. The use of ORCIDs is also strongly encouraged.
UKRI Open Access Policy for long-form publications
UKRI's open access policy applies to in-scope monographs, book chapters and edited collections* published on or after 1 January 2024. Find more information below:
Key points for UKRI-funded monographs, book chapters or edited collections:
The final Version of Record or the Author’s Accepted Manuscript must be open access on an online publication platform, publishers’ website, or institutional or subject repository within a maximum of 12 months of publication. This is in line with many publisher policies for open access book chapters.
The open access version has a Creative Commons license (this does not apply to any materials included within a research article that are provided by third-party copyright holders). Unlike research articles, any CC license is permitted.
The open access version should include, where possible, any images, illustrations, tables and other supporting content.
Where an Accepted Manuscript is deposited, it should be clear that this is not the final published version.
Policy exceptions
UKRI recognise that there may be instances where complying with the above policy is not feasible. Some exceptions where the policy does not apply include:
If a contract has been signed between author and publisher before 1 January 2024 which prevents adherence to the policy.
If the only appropriate publisher for your work does not provide a compliant open access option. (UKRI expects this to be rare, and only after significant consideration of options and liaison with the publisher.)
If the sole funding acknowledgement is for a UKRI ‘training grant’ (eg PhD stipend).
If permissions for third party material cannot be obtained and there is no suitable alternative which enables open access publication.
Trade books are exempt from the policy (except in cases where they are the sole output of UKRI funded research)
Scholarly editions, exhibition catalogues, scholarly illustrated catalogues, textbooks and all types of fictional work are exempt from the policy.
*Definitions of long-form outputs according to UKRI policy (taken from the UKRI open access policy):
| Academic monograph | Defined as a long-form publication which communicates an original contribution to academic scholarship on one topic or theme and is designed for a primarily academic audience; an academic monograph may be written by one or more authors. |
| Book chapter | Defined as a written scholarly output, formally published for the first time, together with similar outputs from other authors in a single publication, forming a permanently identifiable set of contributions on a common theme, bearing an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). This includes chapters in academic books arising from conferences. |
| Edited collection |
Defined as a written scholarly output in which individual chapters or contributions have been written by different authors, and whereby the contributions from each author are intellectually distinct. This includes edited book collections arising from conferences. An edited book collection may arise from a conference, but it is constructed as a publication in its own right rather than reproducing the proceedings of the conference. See Conference papers and proceedings. Edited collections in scope of the UKRI Open Access Policy are those which are required to acknowledge UKRI funding and where the editor(s) satisfy at least one of the following conditions: a) the editor(s) of the collection has sole responsibility for curating the publication b) the editor(s) of the collection has made a substantial contribution to the editing, choices for inclusion and underpinning process of investigation in the publication. The complete edited collection must be made available open access, regardless as to whether the authors of chapters comprising a collection were/are supported by UKRI. |
|
Trade book |
Defined as an academic monograph rooted in original scholarship that has a broad public audience, a trade book is only in scope of the policy where it is the only output from UKRI-funded research. |
|
Out of scope long-form publications |
UKRI’s open access policy does not apply to the following long-form outputs: • Trade books: The decision of whether a book should be considered a trade book or an academic monograph, is at the discretion of the author and publisher. • Scholarly editions. Defined as an edition of another author’s original work or body of works informed by critical evaluation of the sources (such as earlier manuscripts, texts, documents and letters), often with a scholarly introduction and explanatory notes or analysis on the text and/or original author. • Exhibition catalogues. • Scholarly illustrated catalogues. • Textbooks. • All types of fictional works and creative writing. |
UKRI APC Block Grant request form
Before requesting payment of an APC:
- Check your journal is eligible for use of the block grant APC fund. Eligible journals are:
- Apply a CC-BY licence (or apply for an exception to apply CC-BY-ND).
- A Data Access Statement should accompany published articles.
- Acknowledge funding on your manuscript
The Library will liaise with publishers and ensure the payment is made.
Contact openresearch@plymouth.ac.uk with any queries.
UKRI Data Requirements
See our guidance on Research Data Management for more information on UKRI's requirements for research data.