Open Access
Here you will find information on issues related to Open Access publishing and the requirements of different research funding bodies.
Open Access means making research results freely and available on the internet, to anyone who wants to read, quote or download the articles. Some of the benefits by publishing Open Access are that the visibility of the publications increases, and gives greater impact factor and more citations.
Different models for publishing Open Access:
- Gold: Means that the article is published openly available on the internet, but publication fees, APCs, may apply.
- Green: Means that the article is published in a traditional subscription-based journal that allows the author to register a full-text copy of the article in a publication database. This is also known as parallel publishing.
- Hybrid: Is a variant of Gold Open Access and means that the article is published in a traditional subscription-based journal that also requires article processing charges, APC, for publishing the scientific article freely available on the internet, while other articles in the journal still require subscription for access.
Funders' requirements for Open Access
Financiers might have various requirements about which Open Access model to use when publishing. Here you will find links and information about the requirements that Region Norrbotten's most common research financiers apply.
Swedish and international research funders may have different requirements for Open Access publishing, such as Gold, Green or Hybrid Open Access. Here you will find links to some of the most common research funders within Region Norrbotten, where you can find information about their requirements for Open Access.
AFA Insurance
AFA Insurance places demands on Open Access. In the application, the researcher must explain how the research should be made available, which is a requirement for the application to be granted.
- AFA Insurance
External link.
Read more and apply for funding via the link on the homepage.
In swedish.
Cancer Society
At present, there is no requirement, however, they support and recommend publishing Open Access. Instead, they refer to the managing authority's policy on Open Access, which the beneficiaries must adhere to when publishing.
- Cancer Society
External link.
You can make your application via the link "Research grants and support".
In Swedish.
Forte
From 2021, Forte has implemented the requirements and conditions included in Plan S. This means that results of research that have been granted with funding from Forte must be published with open access without delay. The requirement so far only applies to scientific articles published in journals or conference proceedings.
Publication shall take place in one of the following ways:
- Gold Open Access: (in openly accessible journals and on openly accessible platforms)
- Hybrid: (in transformative journals or in journals under transformative agreements)
- Green Open Access: (in subscription journals, provided that the final published version of the article or a peer-reviewed, author-approved version of the article is deposited simultaneously, and without delay, in an openly accessible archive/repository).
Open license (CC BY) must be used for publication.
Read more in the links below:
- Forte
External link.
More information can be found under "Seek financing".
In Swedish. - Guidelines
External link.
Guidelines for publishing with open access on Forte's website.
In Swedish.
Heart-Lung
At present, there is no requirement for research funded by the Heart Lung Foundation to be published Open Access.
- Heart-Lung
External link.
Read more about Hjärt-Lungfonden's funding through various grants, and submit your application. In Swedish.
Dietary Science Fondation
Has no policy on Open Access at this time.
- Dietary Science Fondation
External link.
Read more about Dietary Science Fondation and contact them if you have any questions.
In Swedish.
The Nordic Council of Ministers
According to the Nordic Council of Ministers' policy, all written publications published by the Nordic Council of Ministers must be published Open Access in electronic format on their publication platform. The fulltext should contain the required metadata and according to the recommendation, the publications must also meet the accessibility criteria for persons with visual impairment or reading difficulties.
- Nordic Council of Ministers
External link.
Information on how to apply for funding from Nordic cooperation.
In Swedish. - Guidelines
External link.
Guidelines for publication on the Nordic Council of Ministers' website.
In Swedish.
The Swedish Heart and Lung Association
At present, there is no explicit policy on Open Access, but the Swedish Heart and Lung Association welcomes the publication of their funded research with free access.
- Riksförbundet HjärtLung
External link.
Continue reading to read more and make your application via the link "Forskningsanslag".
In Swedish.
Sanofi
Sanofi has no specific policy on Open Access requirements. Instead, they state that it is the details of their current agreement that must be followed.
- Sanofi
External link.
Read more under "Research and development".
In Swedish.
Swedish Medical Society
States no specific requirement for Open Access.
- Swedish Medical Society
External link.
Apply for funding and read more about the Swedish Medical Society here.
In Swedish.
Vetenskapsrådet/ The Swedish Research Council
Publication results from research that is wholly or partly funded by the Swedish Research Council must be immediately available to all, without delay. This means that publication with Open Access must take place at the same time as the research results are published in another format, for example in a subcription-based journal. The requirement applies to all types of scientific publications, for example articles, monographs, books, and book chapters. The new guidelines apply to researchers who receive grants as from October 2022.
Open license (CC BY) must be used for publication. That license can also be used for books, but in some cases different licenses may need to be used for text and image content. Read more in link below:
- The Swedish Research Council
External link.
In the menu, click on "Apply for funding" to find more information about their requirements and terms.
In Swedish. - Guidelines
External link.
Guidelines for publication with open access on the Swedish Research Council's website.
In Swedish.
Vinnova
From 2021, Vinnova has implemented the requirements and conditions included in Plan S. This means that results of research that have been granted with funding from Vinnova must be published with open access without delay. The requirement so far only applies to scientific articles published in journals or conference proceedings.
Publication shall take place in one of the following ways:
- Gold Open Access: (in open-access journals or on an open-access platforms)
- Hybrid: (in transformative journals or in journals under transformative agreements)
- Green Open Access: (in subscription journals, provided that the final published version of the article or a peer-reviewed, author-approved version of the article is deposited simultaneously, and without delay, in an openly accessible archive/repository).
Open license (CC-BY) must be used for publication. Read more in the link below:
- Vinnova
External link.
Read more about Vinnova's terms and agreements on their website.
In Swedish. - Vinnova's general guidelines
External link.
Under the heading "Scientific publication" you will find Vinnova's Guidelines for open access to scientific publications.
In Swedish.
The Wallenberg Foundations
Research funded by the Markus and Amalia Wallenberg Memorial Foundation, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation will be published with Open Access. The respective university's rules for Open Access apply. Additional cost for this can be included as a direct cost in project applications. Read more about what applies to each foundation via the link below.
- Wallenberg Foundations
External link.
Read more and click on the different foundations to make your application.
In Swedish.
Others
International research funding bodies with Open Access requirements can be found on Sherpa's pages.
- Sherpa Juliet
External link.
Database for research funders' open access requirements.
Open Access journals
Gold Open Access journals have been started as an alternative to the traditional journal-market, and are characterised in part by the fact that the content is published freely available on the internet, while the author retains the copyright to his article. As a rule, the author must pay a publication fee, article processing charge, APC, to publish the article in these journals. Other Gold Open Access journals cover their expenses through, for example, membership fees and support from research institutions.
Quality review, peer review, of the open content of Open Access journals works in the same way as with traditional journals - and just as with traditional journals, the quality can vary.
Finding Open Access journals
You can find Gold Open Access journals in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), a database that lists Open Access journals that are international, maintain a high scientific level and follow best practice standards such as peer review. Parallel publishing policies can be found in Sherpa Romeo, a database that indexes archive policies for traditional publishers.
- Sherpa Romeo
External link.
Researchers can find parallel publishing policies in Sherpa Romeo, a database that indexes archival policies for traditional publishers. - DOAJ
External link.
The Directory of Open Access Journals contains thousands of Open Access journals in fields such as engineering, medicine, social sciences and humanities.
Parallel publishing
What does parallel publishing mean? Here you can read more about different article versions, embargo periods and what to consider before publishing.
Parallel publishing, or green Open Access publishing, means that a copy of an article that is published in a scientific journal also can be published in institutional archives and publication databases. There are certain conditions to consider when parallel publishing your research since each journal has different policies about what is allowed. In the Sherpa Romeo database, you can read more about what applies to different journals, but also check that the information matches the publisher's website.
- Sherpa Romeo
External link.
Is a database where you can read more about the policies that apply to different journals, but also check that the information matches the publisher's website.
Article versions
Sherpa Romeo has the following article versions:
Preprint: The article before it has been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication.
Postprint: The article after it has been peer-reviewed and accepted for publication. The article version contains the changes made after the peer review but lacks the journals pagination, logo, layout and more.
Publisher's version / PDF: The article is available as a PDF with the journals pagination, logo, layout and more.
Embargo
Some publishers use embargo periods, which means that an article only can be parallel-published after a certain period of time. This usually applies to the article version postprint. Sherpa Romeo provides some information on embargo periods.
Difficulties with parallel publishing
If a journal does not allow parallel publication, or if there is no information about the journal's policy, you can contact the publisher. You can also make an addition to the publishing agreement between you and the publisher before publishing your article in the journal, which specifies what rights you retain.
Things to consider
- You should not publish a preprint version in, for example, an open institutional digital archive before submitting it to a publisher. Some publishers perceive this as publication and will therefore not accept your article.
- Before publishing your research in a journal, always check what's included in your contract. There may be specific conditions that are not mentioned in, for example, Sherpa Romeo.
Open Access journals
When you publish your research in an Open Access journal, it is freely available to everyone from the very beginning. Via the link below you can read more about Open Access.
Copyright
As a researcher, it is important to have control over the copyright of your publications, especially if they will be published freely on the internet.
Before publishing a new article
When a manuscript has been accepted for publication in a journal, or in connection with electronic submission, the researcher usually receives a publication agreement to be signed. It is important to read the agreement carefully to check what applies. Remember to save the submitted version of the manuscript, as many publishers do not allow parallel publishing with "authors' version" from the publisher's PDF file.
- SPARC Author Addendum
External link.
Learn more about SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). provides an author addendum that you can use.
Previously published material
If you as a researcher have previously published material, it may be stated in the agreement from the publisher that you have limited or waived your rights. It can then be nice to know that most journals, after all, allow articles to be freely available in exchange for certain conditions being met. For example, you can find parallel publishing policies in the Sherpa Romeo database.
- Sherpa Romeo
External link.
Is a database where you can read more about the policies that apply to different journals, but also check that the information matches the publisher's website.
Request permission to parallel publish
For books and some articles, the researcher is required to contact the publisher and ask for permission. Usually only a simple letter is required. Bring:
- The title of the work
- Where the work was first published (publication name, volume, number, page number)
- Where the copy will be available
Creative Commons licenses
By publishing Open Access, you as a researcher retain the copyright to the publication, which means that you have the right to distribute the material freely on the internet. Creative Commons (CC) is a tool that authors can use when they want to distribute their material on the Internet, and consists of six different licenses that describe how the material may be used. Many Open Access journals give the publication a CC license upon publication, but it is also possible to choose a CC license for other material that is published freely on the Internet.
- Creative Commons
External link.
At Creative Commons you can read more about the different licenses and what they mean.
In Swedish.
Predatory publishers
When publishing Open Access, it is important to check the journals or publisher before signing an agreement for publication.
Open Access journals and publishers often cover their costs through article processing charges (APC). This publishing model has given rise to fake publishers who start journals in order to make money. They usually send spam emails to researchers promising a quick publishing time or low cost, but do not have an editorial board or peer-review process. To avoid this, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Is the journal linked to a well-known publisher, research institute, or University?
- What information is available on the publisher's own website?
- Is there any information about the editorial staff or contact information?
- Which researchers have previously published in the publisher's journals?
- How is the offer written? Poor English and misspellings are of course warning signs.
- Talk to your colleagues - have several received the same offer to publish or be part of an editorial board? If you continue with a lesser-known publisher: read (as always!) The terms of the publishing agreement carefully, so that you are sure of what you are signing.
- Open Access and predatory publishers
External link.
Pieta Eklund at the University of Borås has written a guide providing concrete advice about evaluating Open Access publishers and journals. - Think Check Submit
External link.
What to consider before submitting to a journal.
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