Open-access policies bear fruit, study finds

Open-access publishing rates are higher in universities that have relevant policies in place, a study for the European Commission has found.

The existence of an open-access publishing policy at British universities increased the average proportion of papers those universities made openly available from 43.5 per cent to 50.8 per cent, the research data website Science Metrics reported on 20 September.

Institutional open-access policies are therefore “a viable option for increasing shares of publications available in open access”, the website concluded. It said the study results also suggested that speed is important, and recommended that institutions “just get the policy consultation process underway, without worrying unduly about how to craft the absolutely perfect policy before implementation”.