Open Access (OA) provides direct, free and online availability of research output without copyright restrictions by publishers and increases the visibility of a publication enormously.

Within the frame of the “Koç University Open Access Policy” in 2014, Green Road Open Access publishing is mandatory for all authors/co-authors at Koç University. The authors/co-authors must input the final accepted author’s version of a peer-reviewed article with the required metadata in the Koç University Institutional Repository.

Koç University Suna Kıraç Library endorses the principles of Open Access and seeks to make the University’s research output research as openly available and widely distributed as possible.

The Library Open Access Team offers support, advice, presentations, and workshops for all your requirements on OA.   If you have any questions about OA, please contact the Library’s Open Access Team: openaccess@ku.edu.tr

For more detailed information about Koç University Open Access and Institutional Repository Policy (PDF)

Funder Requirements for Open Access Publishing

Most major research funders now have a mandate for outputs to be made openly accessible.  By accepting a research grant, the grant holder is required to provide open access to the publications arising from the funded research. We recommend authors check that their publication will meet their Funder’s requirements. Funder open access policies are important for supporting research outputs becoming openly accessible by academic and non-academic audiences.

You may be able to meet your funder requirements by uploading your accepted manuscript to Koç University Institutional Repository (self-archiving, or green open access). If the publisher-imposed embargo exceeds your funder allowed maximum, you may need to pay for open access (gold).

The Open Access Service supports Koç University authors understanding the key funder requirements and how to comply with them.  If you don’t comply with your funder’s policy, your existing grant may be partially withheld, and you may not be eligible for future funding.

*Funding: Always include the costs of Open Access in your project budget. Or take advantage of the discount schemes with Open Access publishers. At Koç University, there are no additional funds available for claiming this type of cost.

 

TÜBİTAK

 TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye) has declared its Open Science Policy recently. The policy includes the management, storage, archiving, compilation and digital protection of the publications and research data originated from the projects which have been carried out or supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) TÜBİTAK’s Open Science Policy https://www.tubitak.gov.tr/en/news/tubitak-open-science-policy

 

European Commission – Horizon 2020

Open Access to scientific peer-reviewed publications has been anchored as an underlying principle in Horizon 2020. All beneficiaries are required to deposit and ensure Open Access. The published version can be the final peer-reviewed manuscript accepted for publication, including all modifications from the peer review process (post-print) or the publisher’s final version of the paper.

Complying with Horizon 2020 publishing principles KU (co)authors can deposit their post-print works into the Koç University Institutional Repository. (Access could be direct or may be delayed due to embargo periods set by the publisher)

 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH policy requires authors “to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to PubMed Central immediately upon acceptance for publication” (https://publicaccess.nih.gov/) as part of their Public Access Policy.  The Policy requires that these papers are accessible to the public in PubMed Central no later than 12 months after publication.

Much of the content within PubMed Central, a digital repository, can be considered open access; however, content is still protected by copyright and made available under creative commons or a similar license.

 

PLAN S

Plan S is an initiative for open-access publishing that was launched in September 2018 by Science Europe and by the cOAlition S, an international consortium of research funders from eleven European countries as well as the Gates Foundation and Welcome Trust.

The implementation guidelines outline how researchers can meet the requirements of Plan S. The most important requirements for publishing academic articles according to Plan S are currently: immediate Open Access, accessible under a Creative Commons license (CC-BY) and with retention of copyright.

If you have any questions or concerns about funder requirements, please reach out to us by email to openaccess@ku.edu.tr.

Forms and Charts for actions to take Open Access

Open Access (OA) Publishing is a publishing model whereby scholarly journals, articles, and books are published online with no or minimal restrictions on access and reuse. Suna Kıraç Library hosts an institutional repository of scholarly research material created by the university community.

KU Institutional Repository https://cdm21054.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/IR

Researchers should understand the copyright options before publishing and can contact the Library Open Access Team openaccess@ku.edu.tr to learn about Open Access and Self-Archiving copyright policies.

 

Guide to Open Access to Publications

*This guide adapted from the Eurac Research Open Access Publishing Guide by the Library Open Access Team.

 

Policy Compliance Flowchart

Open Access publication fees can often be built into grant application budgets included in the ERC: European Research Council.  Given that more and more funding agencies require public access to the research they fund, they’re becoming increasingly amenable to covering such costs.

For example, costs to cover the “publication and dissemination of Project outputs” are allowed in the HORIZON 2020 grant program.

You should identify which OA publications you will be targeting and include an amount to cover the costs of the publications of this type each year. Check for similar allowances in the funding rules and guidelines for other schemes to see if OA fees are an eligible budget item.

Suna Kıraç Library recommends the “Open Access Journal Options Flowchart” reinterpreted by the Library Open Access Team.

Open Access Journal Options Flowchart

*This flowchart adapted from  AOASG Open Access journal options flowchart by the Library Open Access Team.

Creative Commons Licensing

Creative Commons licenses are public licenses. A public license permits certain uses of copyrighted materials by the public at large. If a work you wish to use has been released under a public license, you do not have to seek additional permission from the rights holder in order to do the things authorized by the license.

However, you do still need to follow the license terms. For example, the license may require attribution to the original author or it may forbid commercial uses.

The “Creative Commons Licences LibGuide” contains a detailed description of the types of licenses.