OPEN ACCESS POLICY

As decided by the Senate on 16.06.2016.

Trier University declares its aim to specifically promote electronic publishing in open access by way of “green” or “gold” routes to increase the visibility and perception of individual scientific work and improve science communication worldwide. The University supports its academics with an infrastructure suitable for electronic publishing and archiving, which the University Library is continuously developing.

The green route offers the possibility of archiving publications in a pre- or post-print version of the publisher’s manuscript in an institutional or specialized repository. The University Library provides an institutional repository (university publication server OPUS) on which university members can offer secondary publications for free reuse in addition to their primary publications, provided there are no legal obstacles. Trier University strongly recommends that its academics exercise their secondary publication right and archive previously published publications on the University Library’s document server. Furthermore, Trier University recommends that its academics preserve a non-exclusive right of exploitation in publishing contracts, which allows for free-of-charge use of the research result’s electronic publication. According to Section 38 (4) of the Copyright Act (UrhG), the new secondary exploitation right allows a scientific publication previously published in a journal or anthology to be published in a repository, even if the first publication’s publisher has been granted an exclusive right of use.

Trier University supports first publications in genuine quality-checked open access journals (the gold road), provided that suitable journals are available for the subjects concerned. Financially and organizationally, this is enabled by an open access publication fund, from which the publication fees can be paid. The free choice of publication medium remains unaffected by this recommendation.

All developments associated with open access are coordinated by the University Library, which acts as a central advisory body for all questions relating to electronic publishing.

Trier University recommends that all its academics use the state-wide online platform SciPort RLP to document their publication output and thus contribute to improving the visibility of Trier University’s research results.