For the REF, certain outputs have to be Open Access in order to be eligible for submission. Download the leaflet below for details of how to meet the REF Open Access requirements.
Please note that the REF 2021 Open Access requirements continue to apply until further notice.
And check our Frequently Asked Questions on REF Open Access.
Research England allow a small number of exceptions to the Open Access policy. If you are unable to meet the requirements, check this list to see if an exception may be applicable.
The full REF guidance, including Open Access guidance, can be found on Research England's REF website
Most funders have an Open Access policy. The paper below outlines the requirements for most of the funders that DMU receives funding from.
If you are applying for research funding, always check if you can include costing for Gold Open Access in your funding bid.
To check that your journal allows you to meet Open Access requirements, you can use:
Sherpa Romeo which details publisher Open Access policies
Sherpa FACT which compares publisher Open Access policies with your funder's Open Access policy.
Alternatively, you can try to retain copyright for your article. The DMU Author Rights and Copyright Guide offers suggestions for this.
If you are working with a research partner, or including material for which someone else owns copyright (e.g. images), you will need to check that they agree to making the research outputs Open Access.
Open Access (OA) refers to making scholarly research outputs freely available to all via the internet, thereby generating benefits for individual researchers, for research generally, for the economy and wider society.
For journal articles and published conference proceedings, there are two main routes into Open Access - gold or green:
We do not currently have a dedicated fund to support Gold Open Access publication
DMU also has an agreement with the publisher, Wiley, for Gold Open Access, for UKRI and Wellcome funded research outputs.
We hope to bring more publisher agreements on stream soon, so watch this space.
DORA (De Montfort Open Research Archive) is the University's institutional publications repository. It enables publications to be made available through the Green Open Access route. It also includes the metadata (description) of non Open Access research outputs, so that individuals and groups both within and outside the University can view information about the University's research outputs
Image reproduced from HEFCE's policy guide at https://www.hefce.ac.uk/rsrch/oa/FAQ/#general
The publisher of your article will specify which version you can upload. This could be:
Pre-print: This is your original draft, prior to peer review and the publisher’s corrections. Please note that pre-print versions do not normally meet funder requirements.
Author's accepted manuscript: This is your corrected version of the draft, following the peer review process. Also known as the Accepted Manuscript (AM) or Post-Print.
Publisher’s Version or Published Journal Article or Version of Record (VoR): This is the final published article, formatted in the publisher's style. It will meet all funder requirements.
Creative Commons is a non-profit organization that enables legal sharing and use of creativity and knowledge by providing a simple, standardised way of granting copyright permissions/licences to a piece of work.
Check whether your funder and/or publisher specify a licence you need to use.
The image below explains the various licences and their components.
Support for Open Access is offered through Library & Learning Services and Research Services.
Email: openaccess@dmu.ac.uk
Information on recording and depositing items to DORA can be found on this page. If you need any further assistance you can contact the DORA team, based in Library & Learning Services:
Email: dora@dmu.ac.uk
We hold termly training sessions for research staff on Open Access. Contact researcherdevelopment@dmu.ac.uk for details
Alternatively, check out the bite size videos below.
Please note that the REF 2021 Open Access requirements continue to apply until further notice.
DMU Figshare is DMU's repository for storing and sharing research data.