The UKRI open access policy has introduced a new open access requirement for monographs, book chapters and edited collections (known as long-form publications). The requirement applies to all publishing contracts signed from 1 January 2024.
UKRI has introduced a dedicated fund to support open access costs for outputs in scope of this new requirement which will be operational from 28th November 2023.
This page contains some introductory messages relating to the policy requirements.
| Type of publication included in the policy | Additional definitions |
|---|---|
| Monographs | Defined as a long-form publication which communicates an original contribution to academic scholarship on one topic or theme and is designed for a primarily academic audience; an academic monograph may be written by one or more authors. |
| Book Chapters | Defined as a written scholarly output, formally published for the first time, together with similar outputs from other authors in a single publication, forming a permanently identifiable set of contributions on a common theme, bearing an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). This includes chapters in academic books arising from conferences. |
| Edited Collections | Defined as a written scholarly output in which individual chapters or contributions have been written by different authors, and whereby the contributions from each author are intellectually distinct. This includes edited book collections arising from conferences. An edited book collection may arise from a conference, but it is constructed as a publication in its own right rather than reproducing the proceedings of the conference. |
Monographs, book chapters and edited collections
Monographs, book chapters and edited collections published from 1 January 2024 that acknowledge UKRI funding must be available open access within 12 months of publication.
Any Creative commons license is permitted. A CC BY licence is preferred to maximise opportunities for sharing and reuse.
Routes to open access for your long-form output
Open access can be achieved via two routes:
- Version of record: Publish the output via a publisher's website or publishing platform open access within 12 months of publication with a creative commons licence.
- Author's Accepted Manuscript: Deposit the Author's Accepted Manuscript in an institutional or subject repository within 12 months of publication of the version of record with a creative commons licence.
If complying with the policy by depositing the Author Accepted Version of your publication in a repository, you can use your institution’s repository or an appropriate subject repository. If you are depositing an Author’s Accepted Manuscript, this should be marked as not the final published version, which you may also choose to link to.
Key messages on Images, illustrations, tables and other supporting content
- The open access version should include, where possible, any images, illustrations, tables and other supporting content.
- UKRI’s licensing requirements do not apply to any materials included within a long-form output that are provided by third-party copyright holders. Academic books published under a CC BY, or other creative commons licence may include third-party materials (such as images, photographs, diagrams or maps) which are subject to a more restrictive licence or on an ‘All Rights Reserved’ basis. UKRI considers this approach compliant with its policy.
A resource on managing copyright to comply with UKRI's open access policy
UKRI have published a good practice guide for researchers publishing open access monographs and book chapters on how to manage third-party copyright, clear permissions, and use third-party content in line with copyright law.
This guidance is produced by UKRI in collaboration with Professor Emily Hudson, Professor Tanya Aplin, and Clare Painter Associates.
FAQs on the longform policy
If you have any further queries regarding UKRI's longform open access policy please contact PURE Support at pure-support@ulster.ac.uk.
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I am editing a collection in scope of the policy and a contributor does not wish to publish open access. What should I do?
In-scope publications that need to acknowledge UKRI funding are required to comply with the policy. UKRI award holders should be clear on the funder requirements they are subject to when agreeing collaborations. You should make it clear from the start that the final publication will be open access, so prospective contributors can take this into account in deciding whether to participate or not.
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I am a UKRI-funded author writing a book chapter for an edited collection that is not in scope of the UKRI Open Access Policy. What should I do?
If your book chapter needs to acknowledge UKRI funding, you will need to ensure a version of your chapter is made open access within 12 months of publication and with a Creative Commons licence. You should be clear about any funder requirements you are subject to when agreeing a collaboration. If the entire edited collection is not being made open access under these terms, you should seek agreement with the editor(s) and publisher for the version of record of your chapter or your author’s accepted manuscript to be made open access via the publisher or self-archiving in a repository. If the publisher charges for making the version of record open access, you may be eligible for open access funding from UKRI.
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Can I get help choosing a publisher which offers a compliant route?
You can choose the publishers most appropriate for your research, provided UKRI's open access requirements are met.
JISC will be releasing Sherpa Books to help authors and their institutions to understand which publishers offer compliant routes.
When you contact your preferred publisher, you should immediately inform them that your publication is in scope of the UKRI open access policy and check if they can offer a compliant open access publishing option.
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I signed a contract with a publisher before 1st January 2024, will my publication be non-compliant?
If a contract has been signed between an author and publisher before 1st January 2024 that prevents adherence to the policy, the policy includes an exception for that publication. However, UKRI still encourage authors and publishers to make publications open access within a year of the publication date.
UKRI open access fund for monographs, book chapters and edited collections
From 28th November 2023, £3.5 million per annum will be dedicated to supporting open access for longform outputs published from UKRI funded research awards. This fund is only for longform publications that are in-scope of the open access policy.
UKRI funds institutions, therefore the research organisation must make the application to UKRI.
The fund will support a variety of open access publishing models, such as:
- book processing charges (BPCs)
- chapter processing charges (CPCs)
- diamond models / subscribe to open models (where there isn’t a pay-per-output model).
Funding applications will be in two stages. At stage 1 the research organisation registers the output(s) with UKRI for funding. At Stage 2 the research organisation provides final confirmation of publication to allow UKRI to release funds.
For more information on how Ulster researchers can apply to the fund and for a series of frequently asked questions, read Apply to the UKRI fund for longform publications.
Publishing a longform output
Are you publishing a longform output which falls under the UKRI Open Access Policy? Do not enter any contractual agreement, commit to Open Access, or commit to pay until we have UKRI approval of costs.