Open Access for Long-Form Publications
UKRI funded monographs, book chapters and edited collections published on or after 1st January 2024 must be made open access.
This policy applies to in-scope monographs, book chapters and edited collections.
Requirements for Long-Form Publications
- the final Version of Record (VoR) or the Author’s Accepted Manuscript (AM) must be free to view and download via an online publication platform, publishers’ website, or institutional or subject repository within 12 months of publication.
- the open access version must be made open under a licence that allows content to be searched, reused, and attributed.
- the open access version should include images, illustrations, tables and other supporting content, wherever possible.
- where an AM is deposited, be clear that this is not the final published version.
Licencing Requirements
A CC BY Creative Commons licence is preferred but other Creative Commons licenses are permitted. Use an Open Government Licence (OGL) where subject to Crown Copyright.
Third party content included in the publication such as images, photographs, maps etc. may be subject to a more restrictive licence. UKRI have published guidance on managing copyright.
Exemptions
In rare cases an exemption to the policy may apply. Exemptions must be agreed with the institution. Contact the Open Research team for advice where an exemption may be required.
If a contract has been signed prior to 1st January 2024 and doesn't allow for open access it will be exempt. However, UKRI encourages open access within 12 months of publication and you may ask your publisher to allow deposit of the accepted manuscript in the institutional repository or to check if there is an immediate open access route and apply for funds.
If a long-form publication is published seven or more years after the formal end of a UKRI funded project, it will no longer be eligible for the UKRI open access fund, and will not be expected to be open access.
For other possible exemptions UKRI have published Guidance for authors on using policy exemptions for long-form monographs, book chapters and edited collections.
UKRI’s Fund for Long-Form Publications
UKRI will provide a dedicated fund to support open access for long-form publications. UKRI funded researchers who expect to pay any costs to publish an open access monograph, book chapter or edited collection, should speak to the Open Research Team as early as possible. We will advise on your publication options and on availability of open access funding and how to apply.
The fund will support:
Costs to make the Version of Record immediately open access with a Creative Commons licence.
- Book Processing Charges (BPC) up to £10,000 per item inclusive of VAT.
- Book Chapter Processing Charges up to £1,000 per chapter inclusive of VAT.
- Other open access models up to £6,000 with an additional £3,000 where two or more in-scope publications are published under the same model.
- Up to £2,000, within the funding maximum for an output, can be applied for to support costs associated with clearing permissions for third-party content to be included in the open access version of the publication. However, these costs should be accounted for in grant applications, where possible.
Applying for funding
More information on applying for funding is expected to be published by the end of November 2023 and this page will be updated as more information is made available.
UKRI will provide approximately £3.5 million per annum to support open access publishing for long-form outputs. Applications for funds will be made by the institution via a 2 stage process.
Stage 1. Register publications for funding (publishing contract not required at this point). UKRI will assess eligibility and approve funding for in-scope outputs which demonstrate a substantial link between the publication, author, and UKRI research funding. Note: researchers should not complete the Stage 1 form themselves. Contact the Open Research Team who will apply on your behalf. UKRI will aim to make a decision within 10 days.
Stage 2. Final confirmation of publication will be provided to UKRI in order to claim funds.
Stage 1 Information required:
- name of research organisation
- UKRI funding reference
- author name(s)
- title of publication
- name of publisher
- estimated cost (if known)
- statement about relationship of the output to the UKRI funded project or grant, including the author’s role
Funding will only be provided where publication occurs within 7 years of the formal end date of the associated UKRI research funding, unless extenuating circumstances apply.
UKRI will update the Publishing your research findings webpages as information is released.
Contact the Open Research Team if you have any questions.
Useful links
Open Access Books Network - For Authors