The Research Information Network (RIN) and Universities UK (UUK) have published new detailed and practical guidance aimed at all those involved in open access (OA) publishing - funders, publishers, authors and higher education institutions. The guidance document is titled Paying for open access publication charges.
It has been observed that the response by universities and authors to the development of OA publishing, and the arrangements of paying the fees charged by publishers, remains haphazard in the UK. OA publishing has become an increasingly significant part of the research world over the past few years. But funders' requirements that the outputs of research should rapidly be made freely available to all readers have not been matched by consistent and readily-understandable arrangements enabling researchers to pay the required fees to the publishers.
Only a very small number of higher education institutions currently have any clear arrangements in place. The RIN and UUK guidance calls for a strategic response in the UK - at both institutional and national levels - to the opportunities as well as the challenges posed by OA publishing. It also moots good communication between all the parties involved. The guidance offers specific advice to ensure that funders' requirements for research to be published OA are met. It builds on experience to date, and provides practical advice on establishing a strategic and coordinated approach to the payment of publication fees.
The guidance is available online at www.rin.ac.uk/openaccess-payment-fees.
