Open Access for REF

Open Access Policy Summary

This page relates to the REF 2029 Open Access Policy only. Information regarding REF 2029 at Newcastle University can be found on the REF 2029 pages (internal access only).

The next Research Excellence Framework, REF 2029, will assess the quality of research in UK higher education instutions between 2021 and 2028. Building on changes made in REF 2021, REF 2029 will be a more inclusive research assessment exercise, capturing the valuable contributions of a wider range of research and research-enabling staff.

The full Open Access Policy for REF 2029 is available now. The key points for the policy are:

Journal articles and conference proceedings

• The implementation date for any policy changes will be no earlier than 1 January 2026.
• The REF 2021 Open Access Policy guidance will apply to all in-scope outputs published between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2025.
• For submission to the REF, the author accepted manuscript (AAM) must be deposited in an appropriate repository, i.e. MyImpact/ePrints for Newcastle University, within three months of acceptance. Specific exceptions to these requirements are defined in the policy. If unsure, contact openaccess@ncl.ac.uk.
• For content published after 1 August 2022, see the University Research Publications & Copyright Policy regarding deposition of the AAM with no embargo under a CC BY licence.

Longform outputs (in-scope monographs, book chapters and edited collections)

• No mandate for longform open access in REF 2029.
• Open access for longform outputs will be included in the next REF exercise, no earlier than 1 January 2029.
• We encourage deposition of author manuscripts in an appropriate repository, i.e. MyImpact/ePrints for Newcastle University, and the library team will make them open access where possible. If unsure, contact openaccess@ncl.ac.uk.

How to make your papers REF eligible 

See the REF 2021 Open Access Policy guidance on submissions.

Newcastle University supports authors in meeting the REF open access requirements using MyImpact and ePrints as described below.

On submission

1. Add details of your publication to MyImpact with bibliographic status of In preparation so you can continue to edit the record. Publication details can be suppressed from your web profile until after acceptance.
   

On acceptance

1. Change the bibliographic status of the MyImpact record to In press
   
2. Add the Acceptance date
   
3. Upload your author accepted manuscript. This is the version after peer review and containing all academically necessary changes, but before publisher copy-editing and typesetting. Publishing agreements typically do not allow authors to upload publisher-formatted versions to a repository, unless this version is published open access.
   
4. The open access team review all manuscripts uploaded to MyImpact before they are made open access in ePrints, in accordance with institutional and publishers policies.

REF open access eligibility status

Publication records added to MyImpact are automatically assessed and given a REF Open Access Eligibility Status to highlight if any actions are required.

Policy exceptions

In certain circumstances, outputs not meeting the open access requirements may still be submitted to the REF under an exception as defined in the REF 2021 Guidance on submissions. Where required, authors should apply for an exception via MyImpact as described below.

1. To apply for an exception, click Manage Full Text then Apply for an exception
   
2. Select your faculty and then select the appropriate exception from the drop-down menu. MyImpact will provide guidance on the exception and any supporting information or additional actions required.
   
3. Click Send to email your request to your faculty research manager for consideration.

FAQ