The REF 2029 Open Access Policy will be published later this year. Today we are setting out some early policy decisions relating to implementation dates for journal articles, conference proceedings and longform outputs. These are also detailed on our publications page.
The REF Steering Group considered responses to the REF 2029 Open Access Consultation and made the following early decisions.
Journal articles and conference proceedings
We will communicate the final policy position, including on embargo periods, licensing, deposit and exceptions for journal publications in autumn/winter 2024. The implementation date for the revised policy will be no earlier than 1 January 2026. This will allow over a year between policy announcement and implementation, which many respondents highlighted as being required to make updates to internal management systems.
The REF 2021 Open Access Policy submission requirements will continue to apply to journal articles and conference proceedings until succeeded by the new policy. Any output meeting the UKRI Open Access Policy requirements will be recognised as fully meeting REF Open Access requirements with no further steps required.
Longform outputs
Open access for longform outputs remains a key area of policy interest for the funding bodies but in response to sector concerns, and in recognition of the broad set of challenges currently facing the sector, there will be no longform open access mandate for REF 2029.
An open access requirement for submission of longform outputs will be in place for the next assessment exercise, with implementation from 1 January 2029.
The funding bodies will work in collaboration with UKRI and key stakeholders and across the sector to develop a policy for longform outputs well in advance of the implementation date, to allow time for planning and adaptation by the sector. We will include clear messaging on alignment with the UKRI Open Access Policy including outputs in and out of scope of this policy (trade books, scholarly editions, exhibition catalogues, for example).
The funding bodies will consider opportunities to support progress in this area and work with others to enable the sector to develop its capacity and make progress on open access publication of longform outputs.
Consultation
We ran a consultation on proposals for the REF 2029 Open Access Policy from 18 March to 17 June 2024. This included changes to the REF 2021 Open Access Policy on deposit requirements, embargo periods and licensing for journal publications. We also proposed introduction of an open access mandate for longform outputs, a direction of travel that has been signalled by the funding bodies since 2016.
We invited submissions from individuals and organisations across the sector to give their views on the proposals and identify any concerns and practical issues. We also met with sector groups representing different interests to consider differential impacts of the policy. Our aim throughout has been for the consultation to be meaningful, to assess the views and evidence submitted, and to bring these into our considerations and decision making.
Rebecca Fairbairn, REF Director, said: “I am pleased to confirm some key elements of the REF 2029 Open Access Policy today. We want to provide as much clarity as we can, as quickly as we can, even on the most complex areas of policy. I am grateful to everyone who took the time to engage with the consultation so we can determine the best balance for this policy for the sector.”
Steven Hill, Chair of the REF Steering Group and Research Director at Research England, said “Open Access brings significant benefits across the sector, both for researchers and for those accessing their research. The funding bodies recognise the potential open access publication has to make research more efficient and impactful as an intrinsic part of the research process. I look forward to working with my team in Research England, colleagues in the funding bodies, and with UKRI to develop policy for the next assessment exercise.”
Read the publication on early decisions made on REF 2029 Open Access Policy.