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 by APCs. A clear policy direction of that kind from Government, the Funding Councils and the Research Councils would have a major effect in stimulating, guiding and accelerating the shift to open access. Nevertheless, the transition across the world is likely to take a number of years. During that period, all three of our mechanisms—licensing and repositories as well as open access and hybrid journals—will remain in play. Measures to increase access will therefore have to include the more effective use of all three; and it is important that progress on all fronts should be carefully monitored.

Open access journals

8.11. Open access and hybrid journals are already a significant part of the research publishing landscape (though the same is not yet true for monographs). Open access journals overall are growing, albeit from a small base, at a faster rate than traditional subscription-based journals. Measures to facilitate and stimulate take-up of the option to publish in such journals would bring significant improvements in access to publications arising from UK research; and that would bring benefits to people and organisations both in the UK and the rest of the world. A particular advantage of open access journals is that publishers can afford to be more relaxed about rights of use and re-use

8.12. The draft policy proposals now emanating from the Research Councils clearly have those goals in mind. They would require that publications resulting from the research they support should be made accessible as soon as possible, free of charge, to anyone who wishes to read them; that such access should be to the version of record, as provided on the publisher’s platform; and that access should come with as few restrictions as possible on rights of use and re-use. If they are accompanied by arrangements for more flexible use of research funds to pay for publication, these proposals would remove a major barrier to publication in open access or hybrid journals.

8.13. The Funding Councils are also developing proposals under which they would require that in any REF or similar exercise after 2014, the publications submitted for assessment should be freely accessible so far as possible. Taken together, these new policies will, so long as funding is provided to meet APCs, stimulate a significant shift towards publication of research in open access or hybrid journals in the next few years.

8.14. Publishers who respond to these policy developments by moving successfully to the open access or hybrid model will be able to give immediate access to the version of record, with full functionality and rights of use; and to sustain their investment in high-quality peer review, marketing, discovery and navigation, preservation and other services that meet the needs of both authors and readers. A move to open access publishing will of course involve significant costs and risks, as well as operational and policy challenges that will need careful handling. The risks and challenges will be acute for leading journals with high rejection rates, where the level of APCs is likely also to be high.