Open Access

What is Open Access and why should it matter to you?

Open Access News

Note that on August 25, 2022 the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a new set of guidelines for providing public access to all federally-funded research products, including data and peer-reviewed publications.

See the memo below for more details.

OSTP Public Access Memo (August 2022)

The Federal Purpose License: What Campuses Need to Know (HELIOS)
This fact sheet provides some important information about the Federal Purpose License which allows federal grant agencies to make use of works produced as part of funded research projects, including making them publicly available at no cost.
SPARC Publication Sharing Policy Resource
A regularly updated resource that distills the key elements of federal agencies' public sharing requirements. It also includes a link to the latest data sharing policies by federal agency

Open Access Policies & Research

If you aren't sure about the open access policies of your chosen publications or funding agencies, the links below can help you find more information:

Sherpa/Juliet: a searchable database with summaries of research funders' policies on open access.
Sherpa/Romeo: a searchable database of journal and publisher policies on authors distributing copies of their works.

For larger discussions of OA policies at the institutional or government level, check out these sites:

Coalition of Open Access Policy Institutions (COAPI) brings together representatives from North American universities with established faculty open access policies and those universities in the process of developing such policies.
Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) is an international alliance of academic and research libraries working to create a more open system of scholarly communication.

Check this out

Open Research Toolkit
The Open Research Toolkit was created by Christopher Eaker during Faculty Development Leave, Fall 2021. While this toolkit was designed for librarians to learn about open research concepts and skills and teach them at their institutions, it would be useful for anyone interested in learning more about open research. Any questions related to this content can be directed to the author at OpenResearch@utk.edu.
A Guide to DeSci: The Latest Web3 Movement
A growing number of scientists and entrepreneurs are leveraging blockchain tools, including smart contracts and tokens, in an attempt to improve modern science. Collectively, their work has become known as the decentralized science movement, or DeSci.