UBIR is the University of Bolton Institutional Repository. An online, searchable database, it aims to capture, store and preserve the intellectual output of the University of Bolton by making as many items as possible available as an open access item. This guide tells you more about Open Access and UBIR, including how you can deposit your work. If you need further help or guidance, please contact the UBIR Team.
UBIR is available here.
The open access movement traces its origins to the signing of the Budapest Open Access Initiative of 2002, which declared that the that the only barrier to accessing academic research should be technical barriers to using the Internet itself, and that anyone with an interest in academic research should be able to access it freely.
The main principle of open access (OA) is that research is free at the point of access. The sharing of research is possibly one of the most important aspects to scholarly communication, and OA not only challenges that aspect, but also spearheads the development of it.
There is no single way to engage in open access. Open access can be achieved by depositing research in an open access repository such as the University of Bolton Institutional Repository (UBIR) or by publishing in either an open access journal (such as those listed by the Directory of Open Access Journals – DOAJ) or paying for the article to be made open access in a more ‘traditional’ publication of the sort that is usually accessed by either personal or institutional subscription. This known as green open access. To pay for an article to be made open access is known as either an Article Processing Charge or an Author Pays Charge (APC). The former is a more accurate description. This is known as gold open access, and is the preferred method of open access as described by the Finch Report of 2012 which outlined ways in which OA needed to progress for the betterment of scholarly communication and the sharing of research.
Open Access also applies to research data as well as published articles. For further information see the Concordat on Open Research Data below.
Green OA is the depositing of research in an online database, or repository, such as UBIR. Many consider green OA to be more sustainable, in that authors can get involved quickly and easily and without additional costs. Green OA brings with it a number of concerns, none of which should be considered a barrier to engagement:
Gold OA is the publication of research in either an open access journal, or by paying a fee known as an Article/Author Processing Charge or APC to make the article open access in a more traditional publication. As with green open access, there are a number of concerns:
The simplest way in which you can comply with the REF 2021 open access requirement is to deposit your work in UBIR.
To be eligible, papers must be deposited within the following timeframes:
The policy applies to journal articles and conference papers, monographs and book chapters are currently not included.
For information about open access copyright, and how you can comply with copyrights terms and conditions as you engage with open access, we have a guide to open access and copyright.
