Open Access to Research

Credit Language

AC 11: Open Access to Research – version 2.2

Frequently Asked Questions

How has this credit changed between STARS 2.1 and 2.2?

Substantive changes have been made to this credit. Criteria and scoring have been revised to provide multiple ways to earn points. A comprehensive list of differences can be found in the 2.2 Summary of changes.

Can points still be earned if the open access policy isn’t mandatory?

While policies that allow for publisher embargoes and/or provide a waiver option for authors to opt-out of the open access license/program for individual articles, under Version 2.2, policies and commitments that are strictly voluntary (i.e., opt-in) do not qualify. In such cases, institutions should respond “No” for having a policy that requires its employees to publish scholarly works open access.

Does this credit require an open access research repository at the institution?

Under Version 2.2, partial points are earned for having an institutional research repository. The repository may be managed by the institution, available at the system level, or the institution may participate in a consortial and/or outsourced open access repository.

Example Responses

Common Issues Identified During Review

  • “Yes” responses must be supported in the descriptive and URL fields.
  • To support a Yes response under “Does the institution have a published policy that requires its employees to publish scholarly works open access…” – a policy requiring employees to publish scholarly works open access is required. The policy may allow for publisher embargoes and/or provide a waiver option, but this must be clarified in the descriptive text or policy upload.

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