Open Access Publications

Wherever possible, published outputs of research conducted at York should be made open access in accordance with the University's commitment to open research. The Research Publications and Open Access Policy outlines the University's expectations.

Publication Writing

As with Departmental peer review for proposals, the Department encourages internal peer review for publications. Please contact the Chair of Departmental Research Committee for more information.

Guidance is also available for publishing in high-impact journals.

Open Access and REF

Publications form an important part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which happens approximately every 7 years. Papers are assessed out of 4 stars, based on originality, significance and rigour. The Department has a checklist outlining the REF criteria which can be used when drafting or reviewing papers

There are requirements around open access and REF which need to be followed to ensure that publications are eligible for submission.

Any journal articles or conference contributions in a conference proceedings with an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) must be deposited on PURE within 3 months of acceptance:

Resources for Open Access

The Library provide excellent resources and guidance around open access publications:

Funding for Open Access

Where possible, include costs for open access publications in research grant applications.

If you don't have funding, look at the University's publishing agreements which enable free or reduced cost open access publications in >10,000 journals.

If there isn't a suitable journal to publish in - or the journal you've chosen doesn't have an agreement with the University - the York Open Access Fund provides funding to pay for open access publications, including those resulting from grants funded by UKRI and Wellcome Trust.


Contact the Library for assistance with open access (lib-open-research@york.ac.uk).