Open Access News

NERC is committed to the principles articulated in the RCUK statement on access to research outputs....NERC already requires that award holders offer a copy of any dataset resulting from NERC-funded activities to its data centres.

From 1 October 2006 NERC will require that, for new funding awards, an electronic copy of any published peer-reviewed paper, supported in whole or in part by NERC-funding, is deposited at the earliest opportunity in an e-print repository.  NERC also encourages award-holders to deposit published peer-reviewed papers arising from awards made before October 2006.

NERC will establish an e-print repository to improve access to the outputs of its research centres.  NERC staff will be expected to deposit copies of any published peer-reviewed papers, supported in whole or in part by NERC-funding, in the NERC repository.  NERC award holders who do not have access to an appropriate repository through their host institution will be able to deposit in the NERC repository.

Full implementation of these requirements requires that current copyright and licensing policies, such as embargo periods, are maintained by publishers and respected by authors.  Under this policy, at no time will individual authors be required to negotiate copyright and licensing arrangements with their publishers.  NERC will work with publishers to put in place mechanisms for publishers submitting publications on behalf of authors, where this is possible.  The version of the paper deposited will depend upon publishers’ policies on deposit in repositories....

Learned Societies have expressed concerns that mandating deposit in repositories may affect journal subscription income and thus the financial sustainability of some societies.  It is in NERC’s interest to ensure that the Learned Societies remain as key members of its research community and NERC, along with the other research councils, will work with the societies to look at ways that they can adapt to and exploit new models of publication.  Specifically, NERC will work with those Learned Societies within the NERC community who have an interest in this area, to develop thematic repositories offering value added services.  The nature and location of these thematic repositories will be agreed on a case-by-case basis; however, NERC is open to finding ways of supporting these and linking them to its own repository.

NERC will amend its grant conditions to reflect the requirement for deposit of published peer-reviewed papers.  Compliance with this requirement will be taken into consideration when considering further applications for funding.

Comments.

1. This is excellent news. NERC is now the fourth of the eight UK Research Councils to adopt an OA mandate. The other three are the Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC), and the Medical Research Council (MRC). One RC has decided to request OA without requiring it --the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC)-- and the rest are still deliberating.
2. With one exception, the policy is all that one could ask. The exception is the way it defers to publisher preferences on embargoes and other copyright and licensing restrictions, in effect authorizing publishers to resist and negate the rest of the policy. As the policy evolves, I hope NERC will take advantage of the fact that funders are upstream from publishers and have every right to dictate terms to their own grantees and enforce their own interests. Grantees sign their funding contracts before they sign their copyright transfer agreements with publishers, and there's no legal reason why funding contracts must defer to publishing contracts that don't yet exist.
3. Bill Hubbard has already incorporated the new policy into JULIET, the directory of funding agency OA policies.