UKRI provides updates on the open access policy, including monitoring and evaluation, monographs book chapters and edited collections and technical requirements.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is working collaboratively with stakeholders to support implementation of its open access policy. The policy applied since April 2022 for research articles and since January 2024 for monographs, book chapters and edited collections.
Monitoring and evaluation
UKRI published an externally commissioned report on the development of a set of baseline values for open access research articles, against which future progress can be assessed. The work was undertaken by Research Consulting and Sesame Open Science.
The baseline values show a steady increase in alignment with UKRI’s policy requirements in the years preceding the policy.
In 2022, the year the policy started, 63% of articles acknowledging UKRI funding were fully policy compliant. This means they were available immediately at the time of publishing, via a journal or repository with a licence allowing reuse.
In the wider UK this figure was much lower at 39%, largely driven by lower uptake of an open access licence.
The underpinning analysis was based exclusively on open data sources and the data and code have been made available to enable reuse, in line with UKRI’s commitment to open research.
The report outlines key observations and lessons learned to inform future monitoring and evaluation.
UKRI will consider these and other outcomes of this work in its ongoing monitoring and evaluation work, including the 2024 light-touch review of the UKRI open access policy for research articles.
Monographs, book chapters and edited collections
UKRI is pleased to announce it is partnering with the OAPEN Foundation to provide open infrastructure services for monographs and edited collections. This will improve discoverability and preservation, as well as support monitoring and evaluation.
UKRI has also initiated a series of projects to develop tools and resources for stakeholders.
Researchers
For researchers, UKRI has commissioned Insights Media to develop case studies that demonstrate the opportunities of publishing their monographs and edited collections open access.
Research organisations
For research organisations, UKRI is funding a project collaboration led by:
- Research Libraries UK
- Society of College, National and University Libraries
- Association of Research Managers and Administrators
Together, they will develop implementation strategies, establish a forum for good practice exchange, and develop resources for researchers and open access professionals.
Publishers
For publishers, UKRI has commissioned Information Power to develop a toolkit that can support learned society, subject association and smaller specialist publishers to transition to open access business models.
This project is in partnership with:
- Association of Learned Society Publishers
- British Academy
- Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association
Research information landscape
Working with MoreBrains Cooperative, UKRI has published further clarifications on the technical requirements of its open access policy for research articles.
These requirements are intended to help publishing and repository systems improve the open access research information landscape by:
- making articles findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable
- reducing burden associated with monitoring and managing research
An ongoing project
This work is part of an ongoing project to:
- engage with repository and publishing communities on their state of readiness to meet the policy requirements
- develop pragmatic next steps that can guide UKRI’s work and that of other stakeholders
Through engaging with stakeholders, UKRI and MoreBrains identified a need to provide further clarification on elements of the technical requirements set out in the policy.
The final outputs from this project will be published later in 2024.
