Policy on Research Publications and Copyright
Effective from 1st August 2022

1. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to ensure all journal articles and conference proceedings are available open
access as required by research funders including UKRI, Wellcome Trust and others in cOAlition s.
2. What is covered by the policy?
This policy applies to peer-reviewed research articles (including reviews and conference papers) that areaccepted for final publication in either a journal, conference proceeding with an International Standard
Serial Number (ISSN), or publishing platform. The policy applies to research publications which are authoredor co-authored while the person is a staff member of Newcastle University. It also includes any third-party
content where the rights in that content have been secured. Any research publications submitted oraccepted for publication before the adoption of this policy are exempt.
Whilst the policy does not apply to monographs, books, book chapters, edited collections or other research
outputs falling outside of the definition above, the University strongly encourages researchers to make themas openly available as possible.
3. Who does the policy apply to?
The policy applies to all members of staff (with a contract of employment) who produce research
publications (as defined above) as part of their role at Newcastle University. The policy also applies to any
students, who as part of their role working with a staff member, produce research publications (as definedabove). This policy does not apply where a student is the sole author.
4. Roles and responsibilities
This Policy will be owned by the Registrar and approved by Senate. Its interpretation and implementation
will be the responsibility of the Library. Research Strategy and Development will provide the necessary
support to facilitate compliance with the policy.
5. Policy
Traditional publication models require authors to grant publishers an exclusive right to publish
their work, or to transfer copyright to the publishers. Reuse of the published work is subsequently
controlled by the publishers and authors retain limited rights about when, where, how and withwhom their output can be shared. Access to published research output is in effect paywalled, with access
controlled by the publisher. This approach is increasingly divergent from funder requirements and opposes
the open research agenda. To address this conflict, and like our contemporaries, we are instigating thefollowing course of action.
Newcastle University hereby confirms the current practice that members of staff own the copyright to theirresearch publications.

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Upon acceptance of publication each member of staff agrees to grant Newcastle University a non‐exclusive,
irrevocable, worldwide licence to make manuscripts of their research publications publicly available under
the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence, or a more permissive licence if appropriate.
After granting the licence, each member of staff will provide an electronic copy of the accepted manuscriptof each research publication at no charge to Newcastle University in an appropriate electronic format (suchas PDF).
Newcastle University will ensure the accepted manuscript is deposited in a digital repository, with article
metadata usually available immediately upon deposit. The accepted manuscript will be made accessible tothe public on the date of first (usually online) publication (or the conference end date for conferenceproceedings) under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence.
Given the nature of this policy it is recommended that authors start discussions with any co-authors at theearliest opportunity.
6. Related regulations, statutes and policies
This policy only applies to first copyright in authored research publications. It does not extend to otherIntellectual Property Rights in research, which is covered in the University’s Policy on Ownership, Protectionand Exploitation of Intellectual Property for Employees.
This policy should be read in conjunction with the following University policies and guidelines:•••

Open Research institutional position statement
Open Access Policy Statement
Attribution of Authorship Guidelines

7. Procedure to implement the policy
The research publication metadata and accepted manuscript should be placed within the University’s
Current Research Information System (CRIS) at the earliest opportunity. By doing so each staff member will
be signalling their compliance with the policy. The University will take this action as our right to make theaccepted manuscript accessible to the public.
8. Monitoring and reporting on compliance
Monitoring will be via the University’s standard reporting mechanisms.
What will be monitored?

Frequency

MethodDeposit of accepted manuscripts against
eligible publications

Quarterly

KPI

Who byReported toURIC

9. Failure to comply
The University recognises that there may be situations where it is difficult for a member of staff to comply
with the policy. In these cases staff should contact the library team at the earliest opportunity to discuss
options.

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Document control information
Does this replace another policy?

Yes / No If yes please state.

Approval
Approved by: Senate

Date:

Effective from:

1st August 2022

Review due –1st August 2027

30th June 2022

Responsibilities
Executive sponsor:

Professor Brian Walker

Policy owner: (Thismaybe an officer orCommittee)

University Research and Innovation CommitteePerson(s) responsiblefor compliance:

Mrs Jill Taylor-RoeConsultation
VersionBody consulted

Date

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Analysis:
Does the policy have the potential to impact on people in a different way because of their protectedcharacteristics? Yes/ No/ Unsure
If yes or unsure please consult the Diversity Team in HR for guidance
Initial assessment by:Pete Wheldon

Date:

Key changes made as a result of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Analysis
N/ADocument location
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/research/researchgovernance/policies/

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15th June 2022