In publica commoda

University of Göttingen Open Access Policy (incl. University Medial Centre)

Approved by the Senate on 15 June 2016, version of 24 June 2016

Preamble


The University of Göttingen promotes and supports making the research results of its researchers as widely accessible and usable as possible. Open access publications should be used without access restrictions to support research and innovation in science, business and society in a direct and lasting way.

Research funders including the German Research Foundation and the European Commission promote Open Access to scientific publications and research data. Mandates, such as the ones of the European Commission and the European Research Council, require all funded projects to publish their results in Open Access.

This policy provides recommendations for Open Access at the University of Göttingen and complements the University’s research data policy. Given its diverse disciplinary cultures, the University of Göttingen also respects the academic and scientific freedom to choose a preferred publication route.


    General Rules


  1. The University supports and promotes Open Access to scientific publications. All research results produced by members of the university should be made available in Open Access while giving due consideration to disciplinary publication cultures and the author’s individual career stage.


  2. Authors should not transfer exclusive rights via publishing contracts. At the very least, authors are asked to retain nonexclusive rights thus enabling dissemination in Open Access.


  3. Authors are asked to deposit a copy of their publication immediately upon publication in GoeScholar, the institutional Open Access repository. A version of the publication should be used which can be made available online immediately.


  4. The University supports publishing with dedicated Open Access publishers. Publication costs have to be specified in research grant proposals (e.g. German Research Foundation, European Commission). In addition, the University has a publication fund available.


    5. Implementation



  5. The University recommends the use of publication licenses which enable dissemination in Open Access (e.g. Creative Commons), immediately through the publisher or via deposition of a copy of the publication in Open Access repositories if permitted by the publishing contract.



  6. The Open Access publication fund is available to all members of the University and is administrated by the Göttingen State and University Library. Support is provided subject to available resources and relevant funder regulations.



  7. The University of Göttingen runs a University Press which publishes monographs in Open Access, as well as serials from several disciplinary areas.


  8. The University provides advice and assistance for the practical implementation of Open Access, such as publishing contracts and the fulfillment of obligations resulting from third-party funded projects. This support is provided via the Open Access Office in the Göttingen State and University Library.


Contact
Dr. Birgit Schmidt, Göttingen State and University Library / Open-Access Office, bschmidt@sub.uni-goettingen.de