Open Access Process at Glasgow

These requirements apply to all journal articles or conference proceedings that are accepted for publication, regardless of funder. 

The University of Glasgow, along with many other research organisations and funders has adopted a rights retention approach to support open access. This facilitates the author retaining the right to post their accepted manuscript on a repository to meet open access requirements.

You can read the policy here:

Research Publications and Copyright Policy

This approach can be adopted by any author regardless of funding.

Main benefits:

  • Increase exposure to author works by ensuring liberal sharing and reuse rights for authors and end users
  • Simplify compliance with open access requirements
  • Maintain author choice and ensure sharing and reuse of manuscripts regardless of venue

What do researchers need to do?

The workflow diagram below shows how the rights retention approach enables open access.

 Rights Retention Workflow for Authors

An accessible version of this diagram is available here: [Rights Retention Workflow]

Before submission

Authors should think about copyright options before submission as decisions at this stage can affect future use of the work.  You can ask the open access team research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk should you have any questions.

On submission

Add a rights retention statement to the 'acknowledgement' section of the manuscript (and any covering documents if applicable):

For the purpose of open access, the author(s) has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission.

Alternative wording with the same intended outcome can be used instead if required by the relevant funder.

This ensures full transparency for co-authors and publishers.

During Discussion with Publisher

Read any documentation a publisher sends you carefully to ensure it is compatible with any open access wishes or requirements. If you receive any objection or unusual feedback from the publisher contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.

On Acceptance

The lead University of Glasgow author should notify the library at research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk as soon as an article or conference proceeding is accepted.  

  • Forward the email from the publisher notifying you of the acceptance of your publication.  
  • Include the final agreed text before the addition of the publisher logo (the author accepted manuscript) or if this is not ready, an earlier version of the manuscript with a note that it is not final. 
  • To help with open access, please provide as much of this information as possible: 
    • Funder name and award reference number of any past or present grants or scholarships acknowledged in the paper. If you do not know the official award number, please ask your local research administrator or let us know you need help with this in your email.
    • Journal name 
    • Title of article 
    • A copy of the data access statement included in your paper.
    • Submission date

The Open Access team will usually reply within two working days to confirm:

  • Whether deposit of the author accepted manuscript in the institutional repository (providing immediate open access to the accepted version of the manuscript, sometimes know as ‘green’ open access) will satisfy funder requirements, or
  • Whether open access can be achieved by a different route e.g. from institutional open access agreements with publishers or centrally held funder open access budgets. 

If the rights retention statement was included at submission the library can add a CC BY licence and share the manuscript on the University publications system 'Enlighten'.  If you have any concerns please notify research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.

Please use the '!' high importance flag if your application needs urgent consideration, e.g., if you are planning a press release in the next few days. 

What does this apply to?

  • All articles. Rights retention is broadly designed to support open access to journal articles and conference proceedings.
  • Book and chapters. Where there is a funder mandate for books, book chapters, and edited volumes.
  • Any manuscripts. It is recommended to add the rights retention statement to all manuscript submissions, even if the article will eventually be open access via the publisher.
  • All researchers. This approach supports the University's preference for immediate 'Green' open access via the University publications system Enlighten, therefore ensuring the benefits of open access are shared equitably. 

Templates

Pre-Submission Cover Letter Template

Submission Cover Letter Template

Additional Information

Creative Commons Licences explanation of CC BY creative commons licencing.

Copyright guidance including reuse of third-party materials.

 

Alternative Options

If a situation arises where the standard rights retention strategy meets resistance or calls for additional efforts, the Open Access team will advise authors on potential alternatives. The points below are a sequence of options, potential 'best effort' solutions and possible outcomes. For advice on specific cases contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk

As a matter of principle, the University of Glasgow Research Publications and Copyright Policy is there to support authors to maximise the benefits of their research, wherever they choose to publish. As part of the transition phase to a default position on Rights Retention, we will work with you and the publisher on alternatives if required.

Alternative options
  1. Add rights retentions statement to cover letter of submission and acknowledgement section of paper, and deposit in Enlighten.
  2. If necessary, request amendment to publishing agreement to allow for archiving in a repository with a CC BY Creative Commons licence and zero embargo.
  3. If necessary, request separate open access permission from the editors/publisher, to allow for archiving in a (as per 2) repository with a CC BY Creative Commons licence and zero embargo.
Best efforts

If Options 1-3 above fail to reach a satisfactory conclusion, researchers can seek support from the Open Access team, who will agree a best efforts approach which may include:

  • an embargo on the release of the accepted manuscript.
  • a more restrictive licence or complete removal of the Creative Commons licence.
Outcomes

If Options and Best efforts are not successful, the final steps are:

a. submitting and signing a standard publishing agreement, accepting limited open access. This resolution may result in non-compliance with funder policies.

OR

b. requesting further advice from research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk who may call on legal or other expertise.

FAQs

How will the process work where I am not the lead author and am one of many co-authors on a paper, particularly when the co-authors are from different countries?

It is acknowledged that research works are frequently the result of collaboration with researchers who are not employed by the University of Glasgow and who are not therefore subject to the terms of the Research Publications and Copyright Policy. Wherever reasonably practicable, UoG authors must ensure that the requirements of the Research Publications and Copyright Policy are met. You should therefore bring the requirements of the policy to the attention of your co-authors as early as possible and send appropriate text to the corresponding author. If strict compliance turns out not to be feasible, please contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.

We expect similar policies and processes relating to open access and rights retention will be rolled out in institutions across the UK, and in countries where Plan S principles are in effect.

How will the process work where my output has multiple co-authors and is funded by more than one funder?

Wherever reasonably practicable, you must ensure that the Open Access requirements of your funder and of the Research Publications and Copyright Policy are met. UKRI guidance emphasises that, when agreeing collaborations, award holders should be clear to their collaborators on the funder requirements they are subject to. You should therefore bring the requirements of your funder to the attention of your co-authors as early as possible and send appropriate text to the corresponding author. If strict compliance turns out not to be feasible, please contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.

Does the Research Publications and Copyright Policy apply to honorary staff?

The Research Publications and Copyright Policy applies to applies to all authors who wish, or are required, to publish the outputs from their academic research activity at the University . Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the policy, please contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.

Does the Research Publications and Copyright Policy apply to students?

The Research Publications and Copyright Policy applies to applies to all authors who wish, or are required, to publish the outputs from their academic research activity at the University. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the policy, please contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.

What if an author claiming affiliation to the University of Glasgow has left the University?

If an author has affiliation with the University and has recorded this on the output then wherever reasonably practicable, they must ensure that requirements of the Research Publications and Copyright Policy are met. If strict compliance turns out not to be feasible, please contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.

What if the holder of an award granted to the University of Glasgow has left the University?

If the award is still held by the University then the University has responsibility for compliance with the funder's terms. Wherever reasonably practicable, authors must ensure that the Open Access requirements of the funder are met. If strict compliance turns out not to be feasible, please contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.

If the award has been transferred to another organisation, or has ended, then the University is generally not held responsible for open access compliance. However, we recommend that, wherever reasonably practicable, authors ensure that the Open Access requirements of the funder are met.

What will the open access requirements be for the next UK-wide research assessment exercise about future REF?

The open access requirements of the previous research assessment exercise, REF2021, will continue to apply until further notice. Where research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk is notified of outputs that have been accepted for publication, the Open Access Team will check the open access compliance status of those papers and the details will be available to College contacts for REF administration. Further details of REF Open Access requirements can be found at https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/openresearch/openaccess/ref/. 

UKRI Open Access FAQ A10 notes that future REF type exercises will seek commonality with the UKRI Open Access Policy position.

Are outputs published via preprints servers compliant with the Research Publications and Copyright Policy?

An output published via a preprints server is only compliant with the Research Publications and Copyright Policy where the author verifies that the output is equivalent to the author accepted version and that they have applied have a CC (Creative Commons Attribution) (CC BY) licence to the output. Earlier non peer-reviewed versions of outputs are not compliant. Some publishers do not allow sharing of preprints on public servers.

Where can I find help to check if a publication outlet might have a compliant route which will enable me to comply with the Research Publications and Copyright Policy?

Many publishers have explicitly stated that they will not object to researchers adding a rights retention statement to manuscripts. In addition, many publishers are adopting open access policies that are aligned with current open access requirements – thus extending the benefits of open access to all researchers across the globe regardless of institutional or funder policies.

Should you require advice on open access compliance in relation to your publication, please contact Research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk.

What should authors do if publishers insist on them signing an agreement that does not comply with the Research Publications and Copyright Policy?

Should an author find themselves in a situation where a publisher is insisting that the author signs an agreement that does not allow them to share the accepted version with a CC BY licence they should immediately contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk. The Open Access Team will contact the publisher in order to seek to negotiate an outcome that is acceptable to both the University and the publisher. Up until now, the University has frequently been able to negotiate acceptable outcomes with publishers, however that might not always be possible. 

My work is unfunded. Does the Research Publications and Copyright Policy apply to me?

Yes. The Research Publications and Copyright Policy is intended to support all authors. By including a rights retention statement in the manuscript you submit to a publisher, you can remove any restrictions that the publisher might seek to apply to your output, such as an embargo or an overly restrictive licence.

Would I be personally liable as copyright holder if a publisher were to take legal action against me?

If a claim is made by a publisher against you personally, support will be available from the University and its legal team (which, in most cases, will mean the University adopting and accepting liability for the claim), provided that University policy, relevant funder open access policies, and this guidance, have been followed. Should you receive a communication from a publisher referring to the possibility of legal action, please immediately inform research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk. 

It is important, in your dealings with potential publishers, for you to make them aware of the University's policy, and therefore, the restriction on your ability to grant publishers unrestricted rights to the copyright in your submitted work.  You should also read the relevant publisher's terms and conditions and to consider whether there may be a potential conflict.  By taking these steps, you will reduce the likelihood of a claim arising. If you are unsure about whether or not there is a conflict, or about any of the publisher’s terms, help is available: please contact research-openaccess@glasgow.ac.uk