The University’s plans for implementing HEFCE open access policy for the next REF have moved forward since it approved:
1. The requirement for all academics and researchers employed anywhere in the collegiate University to ‘act on acceptance’ of all journal articles and conference proceedings.
2. The use of Symplectic Elements as the sole route for academics and researchers to advise (record) when journal articles or conference proceedings have been accepted for publication, and provide Author Accepted Manuscripts (AAMs).
This applies regardless of whether the papers have been or will be lodged in other repositories.
At its meeting on 18 June, Research Committee welcomed and endorsed the OA Project Group report which set out the findings and recommendations of the recent pilot around deposit methods into the institutional repository ORA and communications.
The pilot evaluated 3 methods of depositing articles and conference proceedings: a web form in ORA, a web form in Symplectic Elements, and email to ORA. Between March and May 2015, 180 manuscripts were received from 120 pilot users, across all three routes.
Symplectic Elements was not only an effective and robust deposit route into ORA, it was the only route able to collect the information that HEFCE requires as part of the next REF submission, reduce duplication of effort for Oxford co-authors, and offer a compliance monitoring tool.
Adopting a single deposit route minimises the risks for compiling the next REF return.
When do we start?
The OA Project Group is developing a communications and action plan for ‘Act on Acceptance’ which will launch in September 2015. This is to enable local and University-wide practices to be embedded sufficiently in advance of 1 April 2016 to ensure compliance by the start of the policy.
The pilot departments who are already using the new Symplectic form should continue to deposit this way; there is no need to stop.
Symplectic accounts for everyone else are being set up over the summer. Please wait to be notified of your new account; there is no need to submit a user request.
The ‘act on acceptance’ requirement does not apply to research students. While DPhils may publish outputs that are later submitted to REF, those produced while the author was a student are exempt.
Note that for theses, book chapters, or data, or any other research outputs, direct deposit into ORA continues to be available.
Further information
Click here to view the HEFCE policy.
If you have any questions please contact our email helpline: open-access-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.
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