Open Access publishing for Aston authors: Welcome

• Government policy: Open Access (OA) publishing is all about sharing research freely and openly to all readers online.  Free access to research outputs has significant social, economic and scientific benefits, and forms part of the Government’s commitment to transparency and open data. 
  • Government commissioned independent report, Feb 2016 - “Open access to research: independent advice”
     
• Funder requirements: HE funding bodies, notably UK Research & Innovation (UKRI - the new body combining HEFCE and Research Councils UK), the European Commission, and the Wellcome Trust & other members of COAF, now mandate for OA publication of journal articles and conference papers. 
  • Note: There are developing compliance requirements also in relation to 'Research Data Management' (RDM) - see the RDM LibGuide for detailed information on this aspect.
     
• REF 2021: UKRI/HEFCE requires that all such outputs accepted for publication from April 2016, and that are submitted to the post-2014 REF, comply with their OA requirements in relation to discoverability and accessibility.  Therefore, to be included in the next REF researchers need to publish OA via either the 'Green' or 'Gold' route.
   
• Aston's Policy: To ensure that Aston is able to meet these requirements, our OA Policy and Code of Practice (inc. Guidance) is that all journal and conference publications should meet the same levels of OA compliance.  OA also feeds into Aston's Forward 2020 aim of developing "... research conversations everywhere." (Aim: 02.06)
   
• Academic benefits: OA publishing benefits individual HE researchers and their institutions through enhanced citation rates and research impact - OA means your research gains wider visibility and usage.
   
• Social benefits: OA publishing means research is more easily available to charitable, NGO and private sector research communities globally.  It also increases understanding by the general public in areas such as science and medicine. 

Library Services are committed to maintaining the content of this LibGuide in light of all new policy developments.

To upload your accepted publication to Aston Publications Explorer, click on the Pure logo to link to the Pure login page.  Also see these simple instructions (PDF) on how to upload your publication.  If you require further help please contact: openaccess@aston.ac.uk 

Millions of journal articles are now freely available online as they have been published Open Access (OA), whether as 'Gold', ie. immediate OA, or as 'Green', ie. archived in a repository in addition to their publication in a subscription journal.

Use the following search tools to find OA journal articles, many of which may not be available via our subscriptions:

• Google Scholar
• BASE
• CORE
• DOAJ

To search specifically for Aston's own OA publications go to:

• Aston Publications Explorer