Complying with the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications
By Diane (DeDe) Dawson, Science Liaison Librarian, University Library
The new Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications came into effect on May 1st 2015. This policy applies to all grants awarded from that day and onward (exception: CIHR has had this policy in place since Jan 1, 2008). This blog post is intended to be a handy, practical introduction to the policy and how to comply.
The Policy Details:
“Grant recipients are required to ensure that any peer-reviewed journal publications arising from Agency-supported research are freely accessible within 12 months of publication” (emphasis my own).
There are two routes to achieve this:
- Online Repositories (a.k.a. the “Green” route)
Grant recipients can deposit their final, peer-reviewed manuscript into an institutional or disciplinary repository that will make the manuscript freely accessible within 12 months of publication. It is the responsibility of the grant recipient to determine which publishers allow authors to retain copyright and/or allow authors to archive journal publications in accordance with funding agency policies.
- Journals (a.k.a. the “Gold” route)
Grant recipients can publish in a journal that offers immediate open access or that offers open access on its website within 12 months. Some journals require authors to pay article processing charges (APCs) to make manuscripts freely available upon publication. The cost of publishing in open access journals is an eligible expense under the Use of Grant Funds.
Tips and Tools for Complying:
Green/Repository Route:
- You do not need to publish in an OA journal – just make sure that the journal you want to publish in complies with the Tri-Agency OA Policy. This means the journal/publisher must allow you to post a copy of the manuscript in a repository within 12 months of publication (often known as the “embargo period”).
- Check Sherpa/Romeo for publisher’s policies.
- Carefully read your Copyright Transfer Agreement (CTA) when publishing; negotiate with the publisher to keep the rights you need to post a copy (use an addendum tool).
- Make sure you post the proper version of the article. Most publishers permit posting of the “post-print” or “author’s accepted version” (the final copy of the manuscript after peer-review and after final revisions have been made). Sherpa/Romeo and your CTA will tell you which version is acceptable to post by your publisher.
- Currently the U of S does not have an institutional repository, but there are a growing number of disciplinary repositories that you can post to. Search the Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR).
- Posting on your own website is not enough. You must also post in an institutional or disciplinary repository. Although the Tri-Agency has not clearly stated this, it is likely that posting in a social network site like ResearchGate is also not an acceptable route to compliance.
Gold/Open Access Journals Route:
- Publish your article in an open access journal! There are many reputable OA journals out there. Ask your colleagues for their advice. Or:
- Search in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). This is a quality-controlled list.
- Identifying and avoiding predatory publishers: a primer for researchers (PDF).
- If your chosen OA journal charges a fee for publishing (an “article processing charge”), you can pay this from your grant funding (it is an acceptable expense), or you can apply to the U of S Publications Fund.
The Green and Gold routes are not mutually exclusive. If you publish in an OA journal, you can still post a copy to a repository. In fact this is encouraged. Why not have your article available in more than one location? It will increase discoverability, accessibility, and ultimately readership and citations!
All of these resources (and more!) are listed on the University Library’s Open Access Guide.
This is a modified version of a blog post originally posted on May 1st 2015 here: http://words.usask.ca/openaccess/2015/05/01/complying-with-the-new-tri-agency-oa-policy/
