In the last few years funding agencies worldwide have begun requiring researchers to make their research outputs freely available to the world. Most major funders, including SSHRC, CIHR, and NSERC, require authors to make their manuscript freely available within 12 months after publication (a few European funders insist on a shorter embargo period of 6 months). The researchers can comply by ensuring either the accepted manuscript or the final version of record is freely available either in a repository or on the journal’s web site.
The following three paragraphs are from the Canadian Tri-Agency (SSHRC, CIHR, NSERC) Web site:
Grant recipients are required to ensure that any peer-reviewed journal publications arising from Agency-supported research are freely accessible within 12 months of publication. Recipients can do this through one of the following routes:
CALJ recommends that all journals have an easily discoverable open access policy that meets the Tri-Agency requirements, maximizes the public dissemination of knowledge and takes into account journal sustainability. Note that the Tri-Agency policy speaks to “peer-reviewed journal publications,” in other words, material that carries an investment of journal time and resources that are essential to maintain. While the Tri-Agency policy applies only to research that the agencies fund, we recommend that journals enact a policy that meets the requirements of the Tri-Agency but that is consistently applied for all content.
Open access journals, by definition, meet the requirements of the Tri-Agency policy. The following examples, therefore, apply to subscription-based journals and journals that delay the open accessibility of what they publish.
Green Open Access
One policy that meets the Tri-Agency requirements is to allow authors to deposit their accepted manuscript in an open access institutional or disciplinary repository and to link the manuscript back to the published version on the journal’s web site. Journals can specify whether this deposit can be made immediately or after a defined embargo period (maximum 12 months to comply with the Tri-Agency requirements). Note that the Tri-Agency policy requires the deposit of the accepted manuscript (the version that has been accepted for publication and revised by the author(s) to incorporate suggestions by peer reviewers) rather than the submitted manuscript (the version prior to peer review).
Benefits: This policy is less likely than others to have a negative impact on subscription revenues, as the repositories become populated with “accepted” manuscripts of only “funded” research rather than final versions of all journal articles.
Drawbacks: The “free” version does not contain the publisher’s value-adds.
Delayed Open Access
Delayed open access, or making journal content freely available on the journal’s web site within 12 months of publication, is another policy that meets the criteria of the Tri-Agency.
Benefits: Delayed open access ensures that the final published version, in which journal value-adds are included, is the one that widely circulates. This maximizes the journal’s presence and perceived value. It also takes into account where researchers commonly go to find relevant research – to known, reputable journals.
Drawbacks: Some journals that have implemented this policy have found that library subscriptions fall off as they “make do” with one-year-old material. It also eliminates potential revenue from selling old content. Another drawback is that it is easy for anyone to download the published year-old or older material and post the article to whatever database or course pack they might want, making usage difficult to track.
What should a journal do to help its authors comply with funders’ policies?
What factors should you take into consideration when creating your journal’s policy?
Your current business model and the needs of your community should help you create your journal’s open access policy. At a minimum, you need to allow authors in receipt of grant funds to deposit the accepted manuscript into an institutional or subject repository and set a maximum embargo period of 12 months post publication. That will ensure that authors can publish in your journal and still comply with their funder’s open access requirements.