Oxford University policy: summary

Open access at the University of Oxford is overseen by the Open Access Steering Group, which is accountable to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Research and Innovation Committee.

On 20 October 2022, the updated University of Oxford Open Access Publications Policy was approved by the Research and Innovation Committee. It reaffirms that the University’s preferred route to open access is the self-archiving ('green') route and brings the policy in line with funder open access policies. 

The policy also sets out principles for managing open access block grants and covers all forms of publications including journal articles, conference papers, reports, books, book sections and chapters, and working and discussion papers.

On this page

Summary of key points

Action by researchers

Due to the complexity of the open access policy environment, the University asks researchers to:

  • contact the Bodleian Libraries when deciding on their publication venue for advice on open access requirements and the options available (including publication funds, rights retention, conversations with co-authors about open access costs, and the relationship between open access and intellectual property)
  • deposit into ORA (Oxford Research Archive), on acceptance, the author accepted manuscript of journal articles and conference papers; record details of all other publications and add full text if possible

Academic freedom

The University supports the academic freedom of its authors (academics, researchers, staff and students) to publish where they choose, provided funder requirements are met and funds are available for open access publication costs

Copyright

Researchers are advised to retain their copyright, using rights retention when required by their funder, and to publish using the widest possible open licence i.e. Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

ORCID

Researchers are strongly encouraged to obtain an Oxford-linked ORCID, either by using IT Self-Service or by claiming their ORCID in Symplectic Elements, and to use it at every available opportunity when submitting publications or applying for grants, to ensure that they are credited for their work with the correct institutional affiliation.

An open access service

The University will provide an open access service that helps researchers to comply with their funders’ open access policy and the requirements of research assessment exercises. This comprises a centrally managed and maintained platform to manage the long-term preservation, continued access and storage of material

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