Open Access General

I have claimed my publication or manually entered my publication details, am I now Open Access compliant?

Not necessarily. In order to be Open Access compliant a copy of the full text must have been deposited into Liverpool Elements for any journal articles and conference proceedings (in a publication with an ISSN) accepted or published from 1st April 2016 onwards.

You can identify whether a deposit has been made in a number of ways:

  • On your Liverpool Elements publications page (Elements>Publications) use the filters to show publication with a ‘Repository Status’ of ‘Not Deposited’
  • On your Liverpool Elements publications pages (Elements>Publications) check the ‘Full Text’ tab per publication (when detailed view is selected)
  • In a publication record (accessed by clicking a publication title on your publication page) the ‘Full Text’ section confirms whether there are any associated files in the repository
I have just had a publication accepted, what should I do?

Add a record of the publication to Liverpool Elements as soon as possible. The full text of journal articles and conference proceedings with an ISSN needs to be added to Liverpool Elements within 3 months of acceptance

Simply:

  1. Log in to Liverpool Elements
  2. Add minimal details about the publication
  3. Deposit the author accepted manuscript

Step by step guidance of how to do this is available on the training and guidance section of the Liverpool Elements Website

My journal article has been published in an open access journal / I have paid a Gold Open Access fee – do I still need to deposit the author accepted manuscript in Liverpool Elements?

Yes, you should still deposit the author accepted manuscript in Liverpool Elements within 3 months of acceptance. The Institutional Policy is that all publications need to be deposited into the Institutional Repository. This Policy had been adopted for a number of reasons including:

  • The University is pro-open access based on the benefits it brings to researchers (increased visibility and citations) and the public (access to the outcomes of research that public money is funding)
  • The University can only monitor its response to external open access requirements if all publications are deposited in the repository via Liverpool Elements
  • To remove the uncertainty around whether a publication needs to be deposited and to allow one simple guidance message to be given to all researchers

It is recognised that as the Open Access landscape evolves the policy will be monitored and updated when necessary. In the meantime Liverpool Elements will simplify the deposit process and therefore should minimise the burden of implementing this policy.

Do I need to deposit an author accepted manuscript for all of my publications in Liverpool Elements?

No, you only need to deposit a manuscript for a journal article or conference proceeding (with an ISSN number) accepted for publication from 1st April 2016 onwards in order to comply with the HEFCE REF Open Access policy (Green Open Access).  If you want to deposit an author accepted manuscript for a publication accepted before 1st April 2016 or any other type of publication then you can but this is not mandatory.

You do not have to upload the full text of other output types such as books, book chapters, book reviews, and so on, though you are free to do so if you wish. Please bear in mind that depending on the contract signed with your publisher you may not have the right to do so, and you are unlikely to have the right to make the publisher-formatted version of books or book chapters available.

Do I need to upload all of the figures with my author accepted manuscript?

If your figures aren't embedded in your author accepted manuscript then you can upload them separately. If you have multiple figures you can upload these within one zip file but please ensure the files are referenced in the same way as they are within the manuscript i.e. figure 1, figure 2 etc.

What should I upload for Open Access Compliance?

When uploading journal articles and conference proceedings:

DO upload:

  • Your author-accepted manuscript. This is your own version of the publication, including all changes made after peer review, but not containing the publisher's typesetting, branding or formatting. It can be a PDF, Word file, or other widely-used document file format.
  • A version created by the publisher BUT ONLY if the file has a Creative Commons licence on it (this should be visible on the paper itself, usually at the foot of either the first or last page). These are normally made available after paying an article processing charge, e.g. PLoS One articles, BioMed Central articles.

DO NOT upload:

  • A version created by the publisher featuring their own branding that does not have a Creative Commons licence on it.
  • A version you have downloaded from an external source such as a journal website or Research Gate.
  • A pre-print – these are pre-peer review versions of papers, commonly available from sites like arXiv.

If you upload a file that falls within the “DO NOT upload” list above, the Repository team will contact you and ask you to upload an author-accepted manuscript.

 

UKRI Longform Publications

The UKRI Open Access Policy for longform publications will come into effect from 1st January 2024.

Does the policy apply to me?

If your research is funded by any of the UKRI Research Councils, then the policy applies to you.

The policy applies to in-scope monographs, book chapters and edited collections published on or after 1 January 2024.

There is no requirement for longform publications published before 1 January 2024 to be made open access. Publications acknowledging a UKRI grant that closed seven or more years ago will not need to comply with the policy, nor will they be eligible for financial support from UKRI.

When does the policy take effect?

The UKRI Open Access Policy applies to in-scope monographs, book chapters and edited collections published on or after 1 January 2024, unless a contract has been signed between the author and the publisher before this date that prevents adherence to the policy.

What do I need to do to comply?

For content published on and after 1 January 2024, you must make your long form output open access within 12 months of publication and use an open licence. The key requirements of the policy are:

  • Your final Version of Record or Author's Accepted Manuscript must be free to view and download via an online publication platform, publisher's website, or institutional or subject repository within a maximum of 12 months of publication
  • Images, illustrations, tables and other supporting content should be included in the open access version, where possible.
  • The open acces version of your publication must have a Creative Commons license (see UKRI's supplementary FAQs for more information).

You must use a Creative Commons licence. A Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence is preferred for the open access version to maximise opportunities for sharing and reuse. Although UKRI recommends a CC BY licence, other Creative Commons licences are also acceptable.

Which licence do I need to use?

You must use a Creative Commons licence. A Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence is preferred for the open access version to maximise opportunities for sharing and reuse. Although UKRI recommends a CC BY licence, other Creative Commons licences are also acceptable (e.g., CC BY-NC, CC BY-ND, CC BY-NC-ND).

In cases where the publication is subject to Crown Copyright, an Open Government Licence can be used.

Licencing requirements do not apply to any third-party material (e.g., images, photographs, diagrams, and maps) contained in monographs, book chapters or edited collections.

UKRI have provided further guidance on managing third-party copyright for research publications.

If I don't use the funded, gold open access route, how can I comply?

You can comply via the green open access (self-archiving) route, where you deposit your Author's Accepted Manuscript in the University Repository via Liverpool Elements within a maximum of 12 months of Publication, with a Creative Commons (CC BY) licence preferred.

Are there funds available to pay open access fees?

UKRI are providing limited funds for support with open access charges for in-scope publications that comply with their open access policy. Funds will be made available via the library’s open access team.

Is there a limit on funding?

There is a central fund held by UKRI that research organisations must apply for.

UKRI have implemented the following financial support:

  • Book Processing Charges (BPCs) up to £10,000
  • Chapter Processing Charges up to £1,000
  • Diamond/non-BPC open access models up to £6,000 for the first output

These funding limits are inclusive of VAT, where applicable.

The funding may be used to pay for charges incurred when making publications fully open access. They are not intended to be used to support other publishing costs.

What if my BPC is higher than the amount UKRI will fund?

If your publication charge is higher than the amount UKRI will fund, please contact the Open Access Team (openaccess@liverpool.ac.uk) for further support.

How do I apply for funding?

Funding will be allocated through UKRI’s two-stage process arranged via the library’s Open Access team. This must be done prior to a publisher contract being signed. Researchers MUST apply for funding through the library rather than UKRI. This is because the library will be making the application to UKRI on the researcher’s behalf.

Stage 1: the author applies to the library with details of the publication via our form
UKRI will confirm with the library if the output is eligible for funding.

When you have submitted the form for funding, the library will submit your request to UKRI. UKRI aims to respond to stage 1 applications within 10 days. Please do not notify publishers that you will be able to pay a Book Processing Charge /Open Access fee for a chapter until your funding request has been approved. 

Stage 2: When the publication is published, evidence is given to UKRI and the funds will be released to the library.

If a publication is co-authored with collaborators who are not funded by UKRI, does it need to comply with the policy?

Publications that acknowledge UKRI funding are required to comply with the policy. UKRI- funded researchers should be clear on funder requirements they are subject to when agreeing collaborations. Contact openaccess@liverpool.ac.uk if you’re unsure. 

How and where do I acknowledge UKRI funding?

Acknowledge UKRI funding for your manuscript with the grant name and number. UKRI have provided detailed guidance on acknowledging your funding.

My grant has ended; can I still make my publication open access?

If the UKRI grant ended 7 or more years ago there is no requirement to make the publication open access, nor will financial support be available. If the grant ended less than 7 year ago and before 1st January 2024, there is no requirement to make your publication open access.

Are there any exemptions to the policy?

UKRI recognises that book publishing differs from journal publishing in significant ways, and there may be rare instances where meeting open access requirements may not be possible.

  1. Where the only appropriate publisher is unable to offer an open access option that complies with UKRI's policy
  2. Where the publication is the outcome of a UKRI Training Grant where the training grant is the only source of funding acknowledged.

See UKRI's guidance on making your monograph, book chapter or edited collection open access.

Which publication types are not included in the policy?

UKRI's Open Access Policy does not apply to the following longform outputs:

  • Trade books (as defined in UKRI's Open Access Policy) unless they are the only output from UKRI-funded research.
  • Scholarly editions - defined as an edition of another author's original work or body of work 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 work and creative writing
Who can I contact for help on the policy?

The Open Access Team can help. Contact openaccess@liverpool.ac.uk