Open Research
What is Open Research?
Open access (OA) is about achieving free access to research. OA research is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. The two main routes to Open Access are known as Green and Gold.
Green open access means publishing in a journal and depositing the author accepted manuscript in the university’s Research Repository. Normally, all UoC staff are expected to use green open access routes to publish the results of their research in line with the University’s Research Publications Policy.
Gold open access means the final published version of an article is freely available on the journal’s website, with no cost to the reader. Authors are usually required to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC). UoC authors planning to publish via the gold route must show that this is required by their funder or justify why it is the most appropriate option. Gold open access is typically only feasible when funding is available (e.g., through a grant) or when the publisher is covered by one of our read-and-publish agreements.
How do I make my work open?
- Familiarise yourself with and follow the University of Cumbria’s Research Publications Policy so your work is shared responsibly and effectively.
- Add full and accurate details of every research output to the Research Repository, ensuring your work is visible and discoverable.
- Keep your copyright and reuse rights for all scholarly articles and conference proceedings with an ISSN, as outlined in the Research Publications Policy.
- Deposit accepted Journal Articles and ISSN‑bearing conference contributions in the Research Repository under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence so others can read and build on your work.
- Make sure all your research outputs meet the open access requirements set by your research funders.
- For Postgraduate Researchers: Once your PhD thesis has been examined and any amendments approved, submit the final PDF version to the Research Repository for long‑term access and preservation.