What is open access? | Research | Imperial College London

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</ul> </li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/research-data-management/imperial-policy/">Imperial policy</a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-1"> <li><a href="https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/research-and-innovation/research-office/public/Imperial-College-RDM-Policy.pdf">Imperial RDM policy</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/research-data-management/data-management-planning/">Data management planning</a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-1"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/research-data-management/data-management-planning/data-management-plan/">How to complete a data management plan</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/research-data-management/data-management-planning/budgeting/">Budgeting for Research Data Management (RDM) Costs</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a 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href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/research-funders-open-access-policies/">Research funders' open access policies</a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-1"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/research-funders-open-access-policies/ukri-open-access-review-consultation/">UKRI Open Access Review Consultation</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/post-2021-ref/">REF 2029 open access policy</a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-1"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/">Frequently asked questions</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/spiral/">Depositing in Spiral</a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-1"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/spiral/deposit-on-acceptance/">Deposit on acceptance</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/spiral/deposit-after-publication/">Deposit after publication</a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-2"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/spiral/deposit-after-publication/deposit-a-paper-from-europe-pubmed-central/">Deposit a paper from Europe PubMed Central</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/spiral/permissions/">Permission to deposit</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/spiral/versions/">Publication versions</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/spiral/licences-and-policies/">Licences and policies</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/">Frequently asked questions</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/depositing-in-pubmed-central/">Depositing in PubMed Central and Europe PMC</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/applying-for-funding/">Applying for funding</a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-1"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/applying-for-funding/what-happens-to-my-application/">What happens to my application?</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/applying-for-funding/publisher-memberships/" target="_self">Publisher agreements and discounts</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/theses/">Preparing your thesis </a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-1"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/theses/reproducing-published-works/">Reproducing published extracts, images, figures, etc</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/theses/reproducing-your-own-published-work/">Reproducing your own published work</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/theses/requesting-an-embargo/">Requesting an embargo</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/theses/creating-your-pdfa/">Creating your PDF/A</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/theses/selecting-a-creative-commons-licence/">Selecting a Creative Commons licence</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/theses/publishing-material-from-your-thesis/">Publishing material from your thesis</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/theses/advice-for-supervisors/">Advice for supervisors</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/theses/masters-dissertations/">Master's dissertations</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/">Frequently asked questions</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/theses/ukri-funded-students/">UKRI funded students</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><span class="currentbranch1"><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/">Frequently asked questions</a></span> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-1"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/ref-2021-open-access-policy/">REF 2029 open access policy</a></li> <li><span class="currentbranch2"><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/what-is-open-access/">What is open access?</a></span></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/depositing-your-work-in-spiral/">Depositing your work in Spiral</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/using-symplectic/">Using Symplectic</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/imperial-profiles/">Imperial Profiles</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/applying-for-oa-fees-article-processing-charges/">Applying for OA fees (article processing charges)</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/preparing-your-phd-thesis-for-submission-to-spiral/">Preparing your research degree thesis for submission to Spiral</a></li> </ul> </li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/glossary/">Glossary of open access terms</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/symplectic-spiral-relationship/">What is the relationship between Symplectic and Spiral</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/book-a-one-to-one-or-training-session/">Book a one to one or training session</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/our-team/">Our team</a></li> </ul> </li><li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/publishing-with-spiral/">Publishing with Spiral</a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-0"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/publishing-with-spiral/intro-to-spiral/">Introduction to Spiral</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/publishing-with-spiral/how-to-prepare-your-report/">How to prepare your report</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/publishing-with-spiral/get-a-doi/">Receiving a DOI for your report</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/publishing-with-spiral/discovering-impact/">Discovering impact</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/spiral/deposit-after-publication/">Depositing a published paper in Spiral</a></li> </ul> </li><li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/symplectic/">Symplectic</a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-0"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/spiral/">Add outputs to Symplectic and Spiral</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/symplectic/link-research-outputs-to-other-entities/">Link research outputs to other entities</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/symplectic/update-your-pwp/">Update your PWP</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/symplectic/add-publications-to-researchfish/">Add publications to Researchfish</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/symplectic/user-guides-and-faculty-contacts/">User guides and faculty contacts</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/symplectic/frequently-asked-questions/">Frequently asked questions</a></li> </ul> </li><li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/orcid/">ORCID</a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-0"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/orcid/symplectic-to-orcid-for-all-users/">Synchronising Symplectic to ORCID: all users</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/orcid/symplectic-to-orcid-for-affected-users/">Synchronising Symplectic to ORCID: affected users</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/orcid/symplectic-and-orcid-permissions/">Setting Symplectic and ORCID permissions</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/orcid/maximise-your-visibility-with-orcid/">Maximise your visibility with ORCID</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/orcid/faq/">ORCID frequently asked questions</a></li> </ul> </li><li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/bibliometrics/">Bibliometrics</a> <ul class="multilevel-linkul-0"> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/bibliometrics/basics-of-metrics/">Basics of metrics</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/bibliometrics/responsible-use-of-metrics/">Responsible use of metrics</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/bibliometrics/available-bibliometrics-tools/">Available bibliometrics tools</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/bibliometrics/initiatives-and-resources-on-responsible-metrics/">Initiatives and resources on responsible metrics</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/bibliometrics/narrative-cvs/">Narrative CVs</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/bibliometrics/book-a-one-to-one/">Book a one to one</a></li> </ul> </li><li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/training-and-events/">Training and events</a></li>  </ul> </nav> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <main id="page"> <div class="show-no-js"> <div class="container"> <p class="step-1">In this section</p> <nav class="nav-fallback"> <ul class="nav-fallback__parent"> <li> <a class="lwi" href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/"> Scholarly Communication </a> </li> </ul> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="container content-template" id="content"> <nav class="page-area-heading"> <a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/">Scholarly Communication</a> </nav> <div class="page-heading lg-8 sm-12"> <div class="breadcrumbs"> <ul> <li><a href="/">Imperial Home</a></li> <li><a href="/research-and-innovation/">Research</a></li><li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/">Support for staff</a></li><li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/">Scholarly Communication</a></li><li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/">Open access</a></li><li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/">Frequently asked questions</a></li><li><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/faq/what-is-open-access/">What is open access?</a></li> </ul> </div> <h1>What is open access?</h1> </div> <div class="row row--space-between flow-opposite top" id=""> <aside class="col lg-3 md-4 sm-12"> </aside> <div class="col lg-8 sm-12" role="main" id="primary-content">  <div class="module flow-m">  <div class="heading"> <h2 class="title fake-h3 not-sr-only"> Top 5 FAQs </h2> </div> <div class="a11y-accordion-tabs wysiwyg"> <div class="accordion-tabs js-tabs" data-tabs-allowed="false" data-start-collapsed="true"> <ul role="tablist" class="tabs-tab-list"> <li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_1242875" role="tab" id="tab_1242875" aria-controls="tabpanel_1242875" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> What is open access publishing? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_1242876" role="tab" id="tab_1242876" aria-controls="tabpanel_1242876" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> How do I publish open access? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_1242877" role="tab" id="tab_1242877" aria-controls="tabpanel_1242877" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> Are open access articles peer-reviewed? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_1242878" role="tab" id="tab_1242878" aria-controls="tabpanel_1242878" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> What should I look for when choosing a journal? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_1242879" role="tab" id="tab_1242879" aria-controls="tabpanel_1242879" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> Can I publish Gold open access in my usual journal? </a> </li> </ul> <section id='tabpanel_1242875' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_1242875' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_1242875' tabindex='0'> What is open access publishing? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p>Open access publishing means making your research outputs available online, free of charge to individuals who wish to access and read it.</p> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_1242876' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_1242876' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_1242876' tabindex='0'> How do I publish open access? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p>You can publish open access either by depositing your work in a repository such as <a href="https://spiral.imperial.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Spiral</a> or by paying an open access fee or article processing charge (APC) to a publisher for immediate open access on their website.</p> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_1242877' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_1242877' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_1242877' tabindex='0'> Are open access articles peer-reviewed? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p>Yes. Open access articles published in journals are peer-reviewed.</p> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_1242878' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_1242878' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_1242878' tabindex='0'> What should I look for when choosing a journal? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p class="xmsonormal"><a title="ThinkCheckSubmit" href="http://thinkchecksubmit.org/">ThinkCheckSubmit</a> is a website that helps you to choose trusted journals for your research.</p> <p>If it is an open access journal check the following:</p> <ul> <li>It has an entry in the <a title="Directory of Open Access Journals link opens in a new window" href="http://www.doaj.org/" target="_blank">Directory of Open Access Journals</a> (DOAJ).</li> <li>Publisher’s membership of the <a title="Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association link opens in a new window" href="http://oaspa.org/" target="_blank">Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association</a> (OASPA).</li> <li>Publisher’s membership of the <a title="Committee on Publication Ethics link opens in a new window" href="http://publicationethics.org/" target="_blank">Committee on Publication Ethics</a> (COPE).</li> <li>Publisher’s membership of the <a title="International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers link opens in a new window" href="http://www.stm-assoc.org/" target="_blank">International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers</a> (STM).</li> <li>Named editor and editorial board – recognised experts in their field who include their editorial commitment on their own research profiles.</li> <li>Look at the editor’s profile on their university website, links to their online profiles (for example, on <a title="ResearchGate link opens in a new window" href="http://researchgate.net/" target="_blank">ResearchGate</a>, <a title="Google Scholar link opens in a new window" href="http://scholar.google.co.uk/" target="_blank">Google Scholar</a> or <a title="LinkedIn link opens in a new window" href="https://www.linkedin.com/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>) for evidence that they are actual editors. Further indicators are membership of organisations such as the <a title="Council of Science Editors (CSE) link opens in a new window" href="http://councilscienceeditors.org/" target="_blank">Council of Science Editors (CSE)</a>, <a title="European Association of Science Editors (EASE) link opens in a new window" href="http://ease.org.uk/" target="_blank">European Association of Science Editors (EASE)</a> and <a title="World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) link opens in a new window" href="http://wame.org/" target="_blank">World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)</a>.</li> </ul> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_1242879' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_1242879' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_1242879' tabindex='0'> Can I publish Gold open access in my usual journal? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p>Check with your journal. Many publishers have hybrid ‘gold’ open access options, making your work open access immediately on publication. This usually involves paying an open access fee or APC.</p> </div> </section> </div> </div>  <div class="heading"> <h2 class="title fake-h3 not-sr-only"> Frequently asked questions </h2> </div> <div class="a11y-accordion-tabs wysiwyg"> <div class="accordion-tabs js-tabs" data-tabs-allowed="false" data-start-collapsed="true"> <ul role="tablist" class="tabs-tab-list"> <li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_337631" role="tab" id="tab_337631" aria-controls="tabpanel_337631" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> Are open access articles peer-reviewed? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_337850" role="tab" id="tab_337850" aria-controls="tabpanel_337850" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> Can I publish Gold open access in my usual journal? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_1328017" role="tab" id="tab_1328017" aria-controls="tabpanel_1328017" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> Do you provide any advice, support or funding to academics who would like to publish books open access? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_339095" role="tab" id="tab_339095" aria-controls="tabpanel_339095" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> How do I get help? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_337858" role="tab" id="tab_337858" aria-controls="tabpanel_337858" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> How do I publish open access? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_349113" role="tab" id="tab_349113" aria-controls="tabpanel_349113" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> Should I upload my papers or thesis to ResearchGate? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_337630" role="tab" id="tab_337630" aria-controls="tabpanel_337630" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> What is open access publishing? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_337886" role="tab" id="tab_337886" aria-controls="tabpanel_337886" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> What is the difference between a hybrid and a fully open access journal? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_337634" role="tab" id="tab_337634" aria-controls="tabpanel_337634" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> What should I look for when choosing a journal? </a> </li><li role="presentation"> <a href="#tabpanel_339094" role="tab" id="tab_339094" aria-controls="tabpanel_339094" aria-selected="true" class="tabs-trigger js-tabs-trigger"> Which version of my work should I deposit in an open access repository? </a> </li> </ul> <section id='tabpanel_337631' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_337631' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_337631' tabindex='0'> Are open access articles peer-reviewed? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p>Yes. Open access articles published in journals are peer-reviewed.</p> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_337850' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_337850' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_337850' tabindex='0'> Can I publish Gold open access in my usual journal? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p>Check with your journal. Many publishers have hybrid ‘gold’ open access options, making your work open access immediately on publication. This usually involves paying an open access fee or APC.</p> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_1328017' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_1328017' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_1328017' tabindex='0'> Do you provide any advice, support or funding to academics who would like to publish books open access? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p>The Library does not provide general advice to authors on the location of where to publish research, instead we recommend authors ask fellow academics in their department for advice. For authors with a particular interest publishing on open access, the <a href="https://www.doabooks.org/en">Directory of Open Access Books</a> can be searched by subject, language, and publisher.</p> <p>If you are funded by one of the constitute research councils that make up UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) <a href="https://www.ukri.org/publications/ukri-open-access-policy/">its Open Access Policy</a> from 1 January 2024 includes a new open access requirement for monographs, book chapters and edited collections to be made open access within 12 months of publication via a publisher’s website, platform or repository, with a Creative Commons licence.</p> <p>If you hold a grant from the <a href="https://wellcome.org/grant-funding/guidance/open-access-guidance/complying-with-our-open-access-policy#monographs-and-book-chapters-868e">Wellcome Trust</a> and author or co-author original scholarly monographs and book chapters you must make it available from <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/">NCBI Bookshelf</a> and <a href="https://europepmc.org/">Europe PMC</a> as soon as possible. Where an open access publishing fee has been charged, works must be available without embargo and licensed in ways which support their re-use. CC BY is also strongly preferred by the Wellcome Trust.</p> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_339095' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_339095' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_339095' tabindex='0'> How do I get help? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p>Contact the Library’s <a href="mailto:openaccess@imperial.ac.uk" target="_blank">Open Access team</a></p> <p><a href="/research-and-innovation/support-for-staff/scholarly-communication/open-access/book-a-one-to-one-or-training-session/">Book a one-to-one</a> with the Open Access team</p> <p>Contact your <a href="/admin-services/library/subject-support/">subject Librarian</a></p> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_337858' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_337858' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_337858' tabindex='0'> How do I publish open access? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p>You can publish open access either by depositing your work in a repository such as <a href="https://spiral.imperial.ac.uk/" target="_blank">Spiral</a> or by paying an open access fee or article processing charge (APC) to a publisher for immediate open access on their website.</p> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_349113' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_349113' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_349113' tabindex='0'> Should I upload my papers or thesis to ResearchGate? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p>Research Gate and Academia.edu are social networking sites aimed at researchers. They regularly encourage researchers to upload and share their latest research papers but just because you can, doesn’t mean that you should.</p> <p><a title="Read our guidance to using ResearchGate‌ link opens in a new window" href="http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/74076" target="_blank">Read our guidance to using ResearchGate‌</a></p> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_337630' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_337630' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_337630' tabindex='0'> What is open access publishing? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p>Open access publishing means making your research outputs available online, free of charge to individuals who wish to access and read it.</p> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_337886' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_337886' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_337886' tabindex='0'> What is the difference between a hybrid and a fully open access journal? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p><strong>Fully open access journals</strong> make all their published content open and freely available to any reader, usually under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/" target="_blank">Creative Commons licences</a>. The majority charge an open access fee or article processing charge (APC), but there is no traditional subscription charge to pay.</p> <p><strong>Hybrid journals</strong> are ‘traditional’ subscription-only titles for which publishers now provide ‘gold’ open access publishing options at a charge. Content in these journals will be a mix of freely available open content (if an open access fee or APC was paid for the article to be published) and subscriber-only content.</p> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_337634' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_337634' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_337634' tabindex='0'> What should I look for when choosing a journal? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p class="xmsonormal"><a title="ThinkCheckSubmit" href="http://thinkchecksubmit.org/">ThinkCheckSubmit</a> is a website that helps you to choose trusted journals for your research.</p> <p>If it is an open access journal check the following:</p> <ul> <li>It has an entry in the <a title="Directory of Open Access Journals link opens in a new window" href="http://www.doaj.org/" target="_blank">Directory of Open Access Journals</a> (DOAJ).</li> <li>Publisher’s membership of the <a title="Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association link opens in a new window" href="http://oaspa.org/" target="_blank">Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association</a> (OASPA).</li> <li>Publisher’s membership of the <a title="Committee on Publication Ethics link opens in a new window" href="http://publicationethics.org/" target="_blank">Committee on Publication Ethics</a> (COPE).</li> <li>Publisher’s membership of the <a title="International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers link opens in a new window" href="http://www.stm-assoc.org/" target="_blank">International Association of Scientific, Technical & Medical Publishers</a> (STM).</li> <li>Named editor and editorial board – recognised experts in their field who include their editorial commitment on their own research profiles.</li> <li>Look at the editor’s profile on their university website, links to their online profiles (for example, on <a title="ResearchGate link opens in a new window" href="http://researchgate.net/" target="_blank">ResearchGate</a>, <a title="Google Scholar link opens in a new window" href="http://scholar.google.co.uk/" target="_blank">Google Scholar</a> or <a title="LinkedIn link opens in a new window" href="https://www.linkedin.com/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>) for evidence that they are actual editors. Further indicators are membership of organisations such as the <a title="Council of Science Editors (CSE) link opens in a new window" href="http://councilscienceeditors.org/" target="_blank">Council of Science Editors (CSE)</a>, <a title="European Association of Science Editors (EASE) link opens in a new window" href="http://ease.org.uk/" target="_blank">European Association of Science Editors (EASE)</a> and <a title="World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) link opens in a new window" href="http://wame.org/" target="_blank">World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)</a>.</li> </ul> </div> </section><section id='tabpanel_339094' role='tabpanel' aria-labelledby='tab_339094' class='tabs-panel js-tabs-panel' tabindex='0'> <div class='accordion-trigger js-accordion-trigger' aria-controls='tabpanel_339094' tabindex='0'> Which version of my work should I deposit in an open access repository? <svg role='img' aria-hidden='true' focusable='false' class='icon icon--m'><use xlink:href='/assets/website/images/svg/icons.svg#chevron-down'></use></svg> </div> <div class='content' aria-hidden='false'> <p><span>The author accepted manuscript (AAM). You can search for the journal in Jisc’s </span><a title="https://openpolicyfinder.jisc.ac.uk/" href="https://openpolicyfinder.jisc.ac.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="8">open policy finder</a><span> to find out your publisher’s policy.</span></p> </div> </section> </div> </div>  </div> <section class="supplementary-content row"> <div class="supplementary-content__sizer col"></div> </section>  </div> </div> </div> </main> <footer class="footer" role="contentinfo"> <section class="footer__main"> <h2 class="sr-only">Useful Links</h2> <div class="container"> <div class="row row--gap-on-collapse"> <nav class="col lg-3 sm-12"> <div class="flow-s"> <h3 class="step--1">Popular links</h3> <ul> <li><a href="/admin-services/ict/self-service/digital-education-services/digital-education-platforms/blackboard/">Blackboard</a></li> <li><a href="/admin-services/ict/contact-ict-service-desk/">Contact the Service Desk</a></li> <li><a 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