Press release:

Athens, 21 October 2013

Open access week

The MedOANet project releases Guidelines for implementing open access policies for research performing and research funding organizations

The MedOANet project (Mediterranean Open Access Network – www.medoanet.eu) releases the Guidelines for implementing open access policies for research performing and research funding organizations. Aim of the Guidelines is the coordination of policy-development in the six Mediterranean countries that participate in the project (France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey).  They provide concise and targeted guidance for a harmonized approach towards policy development.

The MedOANet Guidelines present the main concepts and issues with respect to open access, discuss the major steps that are necessary in the process of policy development and present the important components of an institutional and funder policy. The also provide model policies for research performing and research funding organizations and present best practices in policy development for research performing and research funding organizations.

The Guidelines recommend:

ü Immediate self-archiving in repositories to be required upon acceptance for publication (author final version or publisher version)

ü Immediate open access to metadata and to full-text research outputs if possible (for universities, research centres, etc.)

ü Immediate open access to full-text research outputs with up to 6 months embargo periods (12 for SSH) for research funders

ü Peer-reviewed research covered by the policy, especially journal articles, conference proceedings books/monographs

ü Mandatory character of the policy, with compliance checked. Authoritative publication lists for institutions derived only from repositories

ü Minimally recommend that researchers deposit research data that underpin publications in repositories and formulate separate policies

The purpose of the Guidelines is to provide guidance in defining and implementing open access policies at national and institutional level and their coordination at regional level, based on existing best practices and in line with the European Commission’s Recommendation and Communication on access to and preservation of and dissemination of scientific information (2012) and the planning for Horizon 2020.

The MedOANet Guidelines for implementing open access policies for research performing and research funding organizations will soon become available in all the languages of the six Mediterranean countries-partners of the project.  The Guidelines were first presented during the MedOAnet project’s European conference and are released on occasion of Open Access Week 2013.

Link to the English version of the MedOANet Guidelines: http://medoanet.eu/sites/www.medoanet.eu/files/documents/MED2013_GU...