Queen’s University Belfast has responded to UKRI’s Open Access (OA) Review consultation. UKRI is reviewing its OA policies for research articles and academic books that result from research supported by UKRI. The response was submitted by Professor Emma Flynn, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise, with input from academic and professional support staff across the institution. Key messages in the University’s response include:
- The new OA policy and REF-after-REF-2021 OA policy should be closely aligned to reduce complexity and administrative burden for researchers
- Complying with the new OA policy will pose a number of challenges around funding and resources because of an increased demand for gold OA
- 1 January 2022 is a reasonable timescale for implementing the new OA policy but it may not be possible to commit to this at present until the full implications of the coronavirus pandemic is known
- The new OA policy should permit the use of a CC BY-ND licence because a CC BY licence may not offer sufficient protection for some researchers
- Many journals are not covered at present by transformative agreements, especially in arts, humanities and social sciences, therefore short-term of funding for OA in hybrid journals should be considered
- The OA policy should apply to monographs, book chapters and edited collections from 1 January 2024 onwards but factors such as financial implications and embargoes require further investigation
Any queries can be directed to the Research Policy Office at rpo@qub.ac.uk.