Understanding open access policies and mandates
Make sure your research complies with relevant policies
The rise of open access policies
Now is the time to get up to speed with open access policies. There has been a steady growth of both research and data sharing policies worldwide due to a variety of factors. Events such as the global COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the value of immediate access to research data. In addition, governments, institutions, and funders are steadily recognizing their role in encouraging and facilitating data access and sharing, resulting in increased policies and frameworks.
On this page, we’ll explore what the rise of open access policies might mean for your research career. Keep reading for information and resources designed to answer your key questions, including:
- What is an open access policy?
- What are the different types of OA policies?
- How do I comply with an OA policy?
- What is an example of a compliant open access publication?
- What are the advantages of complying with open access policies?
DOWNLOAD OUR FREE WHITEPAPER
The future is open: academic research in the digital age
Fill in the form below to discover how digital advances have, and will continue to, change academic research
What is an open access policy?
An open access (OA) policy is a set of principles that a research funder, institution, or government enforces. OA mandates can require or recommend researchers provide free, immediate, and full access to published and peer-reviewed research. Some major open access policies include:
- Plan S
- NIH Public Access Policy
- NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Policy
- OSTP Public Access Memorandum
All too often, paywalls prevent researchers, policymakers, and the public from accessing the results of research. Yet, taxpayers worldwide spend billions each year funding research. Open access policies can help widen access to research by asking authors to make their research accessible so everyone can learn from research findings.
Types of open access policies
Open access mandates can vary widely. Some OA policies are merely guidelines or recommendations; others are formal requirements that can result in penalties if you don’t adhere to the policy—for example, you may lose grant funding if you don’t comply.
How to comply with an open access policy
Before you submit your research to a publication, check whether your funder or research institution has any requirements about how you should publish your work. If you find out that your research is subject to an OA policy, review the policy in detail to find the answers to these vital questions.
What is a compliant open access publication?
A compliant OA publication meets the requirements set out in an OA policy introduced by a funder, institution, or government.
All F1000 publishing venues are fully open access and comply and support international open access mandates. As such, open access, immediate publication, and open data are all hallmarks of our own open access policies. Authors that don’t adhere to the requirements set out may fail our pre-publication checks, and their article may be rejected.
The growth of open access policies worldwide
According to the Registry of Open Access Repositories Mandatory Archiving Policies (ROARMAP), over 1000 policies currently exist internationally.
The countries with the most OA policies currently are the U.S., with 148 OA policies, and the U.K., with 120. Together these two countries account for nearly 25% of global OA policies.
Although, this could change significantly in just a few years, with Asian research powerhouses planning on introducing OA mandates within the next three years. In turn, this could position the region as a leader in OA adoption as home to four of the top ten research-producing countries worldwide (China, Japan, South Korea, and India).
The benefits of complying with open access policies
Support reproducibility
When you make your data and code openly available, you support reproducibility by enabling researchers in your field and beyond to reuse and verify your research, playing a key role in upholding research integrity.
Citation advantage
Research shows that OA content attracts more attention and citations than non-OA content, with some studies reporting that open data sharing is associated with up to 25% more citations.
Continued funding
If you choose not to publish your research OA, you could risk losing funding. Increasingly, funders worldwide are implementing mandates to publish OA, monitoring author compliance, and penalizing researchers that are not publishing OA by suspending funding.
Enhance reach and discoverability
By publishing your research openly, you enable researchers, funders, policymakers, and the general public to access and discover your research so they can use it to make a real difference.