Open access explained

While the term “open access” tends to refer to journal articles, there is a growing awareness of the need to make a broader range of research outputs openly accessible including books and monographs, research data, software and code.

Books and monographs

You can find monograph/book publishers using the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB).

There are growing numbers of open access books and monographs published by University presses such as the White Rose University Press and society and commercial publishers.

A recent Universities UK report on Open Access Monographs (PDF) suggests making scholarly books open access has no impact on the sales of print versions.

Some research funders and research organisations provide funds to cover costs for book publication charges (BPCs).

Research data

Many research funders have data management expectations and emphasise that research data are a public good, produced in the public interest, which should be made openly available with as few restrictions as possible.

Some journal publishers expect the data underpinning published papers to be available.

We provide support with research data management, safeguarding and sharing data safely.

Software and code

In many disciplines, software and code are important research outputs that can be essential to reproduce research results. They should be treated as first-class research outputs in their own right, and be fully citable.

Please contact the Research Data team for support.