finally, Australian Research Council supports open access

Previously, the Australian Research Council (ARC) expressly forbade use of grant funds to pay publication charges. This prevented many of us from publishing in open-access journals, as they generally charge a fee.

Fortunately, the newly-revised funding rules change that, and instead strongly encourage open access, via journals and via depositing one’s research in an institutional repository.

5.2.2 Publication and dissemination of Project outputs and outreach activity costs

may be supported at up to two (2) per cent of total ARC funding awarded to

the Project.  The ARC strongly encourages publication in publicly accessible

outlets and the depositing of data and any publications arising from a

Project in an appropriate subject and/or institutional repository.

 

13.3.2 The Final Report must justify why any publications from a Project have

not been deposited in appropriate repositories within 12 months of

publication. The Final Report must outline how data arising from the

Project has been made publicly accessible where appropriate.

Hooray!

If you have ideas of how this should be made stronger for future years, let me know and maybe we can sign a letter to the ARC together. It would be good to move towards a mandate, as suggested by the people of open access week.

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