Many funders require publications arising from funded research to be publicly available immediately at the time of publication. This can usually be accomplished by either:
- Creating public access by sharing a manuscript version of the article in a funder's repository like PubMed or an institutional repository like Tufts Digital Library
- Publishing the article open access through the journal
Both public access and open access allow readers to freely view published research. You'll typically hear "public access" in the context of funder mandates. Open access, however, ensures the content is free of most copyright and licensing restrictions (typically by being shared with a Creative Commons license), meaning it can readily be reused or redistributed as well.
Complying with funder requirements
Keep funder requirements in mind early in the process when selecting where to publish your research. Some funders may stipulate an open or public access policy that not all journals comply with.
Review the publisher’s website or use the Jisc Open Policy Finder to determine a journal’s requirements and then compare that to your funder’s requirements from their website or the Open Policy Finder. Look for:
- Timing: does public access need to be immediate?
- Version: what version of the manuscript needs to be available?
- Location: does the public access copy need to be in a repository or on the journal’s site?
- Cost: what are the costs for open access publishing and will the funder pay?
- OA model: are hybrid journals acceptable, meaning subscription journals where only some content is open access?
- Licenses: is a specific type of Creative Commons license needed?
Get in touch for assistance navigating a funder’s policies, finding appropriate places to make your work accessible, and with data management.
Resources
Guidance on complying with policies
- Hirsh Health Sciences Library's guide to complying with the NIH Public Access Policy
- Guidance from the OVPR on NIH Public Access Policy Compliance
- A guide from SPARC to help authors consider potential actions they might take at different stages of the funding lifecycle, along with additional resources
Find journals that allow immediate sharing without paying
Most journals allow authors to share a manuscript version of an article in a public access repository without paying an open access charge. Many of them have an embargo period before the manuscript can be made available - note that this no longer meets some funders' requirements (notably NIH and NSF). The resources listed here can help you find journals that allow you to share a manuscript version immediately, meeting funder requirements that require immediate public sharing.
- Search the PMC Journal List for titles that have a Release Delay (Embargo) of "Immediate release". These titles will deposit manuscripts into PMC automatically with no embargo.
- Browse the Publishers and Journals Allowing Green OA Without an Embargo list from Penn State for journals that allow immediately sharing a manuscript version without paying.