EPS report gets mixed reviews.(Brief article)

Byline: Tracey Caldwell

Half of RCUKs opt for open access model

Research papers sponsored by four RCUKs will be made available on an open access model. These are the Economic and Social Research Council, Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council, Medical Research Council and Natural Environment Research Council.

Open access campaigners welcome the announcement. Peter Suber, author of the Open Access news blog, said, "The four research councils that have adopted the mandates are exemplary. We can quibble about details, such as how far they defer to publisher copyright transfer agreements (almost always signed after the RCUK funding contracts) or their willingness to pay article processing fees at fee-based, open-access journals. By requiring open access to the research they fund, they've taken the biggest and most beneficial step."

Suber called for the four remaining research councils to follow suit. "One -- the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils (CCLRC) -- has indicated it will not, ...