New UKRI open access policy from 1 April

Requirements for publishing research outputs for UKRI funded research are changing for Leeds researchers.

A new UKRI open access policy comes into effect on Friday 1 April. The policy applies to all research funded by UKRI makes changes to how researchers must publish their research outputs.

The key requirements of the new policy are:

• research articles must be immediately published as open access, so no publishing embargoes are allowed
• articles can be made open access in an open access journal or publishing platform (through a gold route), or by depositing the author accepted manuscript in an institutional or subject repository (through a green route)
• researchers can only use UKRI funding to publish in a purely gold open access journal or in a subscription “hybrid” journal covered by a transitional agreement agreed with Jisc
• articles must be made available using a CC BY licence, or CC BY ND by exception – this includes a requirement to notify the publisher of this licensing at the point of submission
• articles must include a Data Access Statement, even where there are no data associated with the article or the data are inaccessible.
• These new requirements apply to UKRI funded research, which includes the Research Councils, STFC, Research England and Innovate UK.

The new policy extends the types of research output covered in two stages. From 1 April 2022, it includes peer-reviewed research articles, reviews and conference papers. From 1 January 2024, this will expand to also include monographs, book chapters, and edited collections.

The Library is hosting events where you can find out more about the policy and ask any questions about what it means for publishing your research outputs.

Attend our webinar The new UKRI open access policy: what it means for you on 7 April to understand what the new policy means and find out how we can support you to meet the key requirements.

There will also be opportunities to ask questions about the policy and open access publishing at the Research Culture Café events on Monday 25 April and Tuesday 7 June.

Our research support webpages have information about the new UKRI policy and a useful Journals OA Checklist, which outlines what to do and the tools available to help you meet the UKRI requirements.

You can also contact us at any time with your questions about the policy.