T.C.

ARTVIN CORUH UNIVERSITY

OPEN ACCESS POLICY

Rationale

“Open access” is recognized as a standard method for accessing publications resulting from research supported by public funds. Users can freely access the full texts of scientific publications via the publicly available Internet without financial, legal, or technical barriers. The full texts of publications can be read, downloaded, copied, distributed, printed, searched, linked to, indexed, transferred to software as data, or used for any legal purpose. To ensure open access, unlimited distribution, interoperability, and long-term archiving, the full version of scientific publications is stored in at least one online repository.

The European Commission (EC) considers the free flow of information as one of the priorities of the European Research Area (ERA). Open access removes legal, commercial, and technological barriers to accessing scientific information, making the research process more effective and research outcomes more visible. In 2012, the European Commission recommended that EU member states develop national open access policies, that research-performing and funding institutions act accordingly, and that these policies be coordinated both nationally and across Europe. Furthermore, under the 2014–2020 framework program (Horizon 2020), open access has been made mandatory for research funded by the EU. Countries such as the USA, Spain, and Italy have enacted legal regulations to provide open access to research outputs supported by public funds. The European University Association supports open access to scientific publications and data.

Purpose

The Open Access Policy of Artvin Çoruh University has been developed to increase the accessibility, visibility, usage, and impact of the research and intellectual output of faculty members; to manage publications resulting from research more effectively; and to support free access to publications produced from publicly funded research.

For this purpose, effective as of October 1, 2014, Artvin Çoruh University:

1. Requires faculty members to deposit electronic copies of all peer-reviewed journal articles and published conference papers in the Artvin Çoruh University Institutional Repository within one month of acceptance for publication. This requirement also applies to all peer-reviewed articles and conference papers published since January 1, 2010. (If desired, other types of publications and research outputs, such as theses, research reports, working papers, etc., may be added to this provision.)

2. Requires the metadata (title, authors, institutional affiliation, name of the journal accepting the article, etc.) of all publications defined in the first article to be deposited in the Artvin Çoruh University Institutional Repository.

3. Assigns the corresponding author the responsibility for depositing publications in the Institutional Repository and for defining access conditions (open access, embargoed open access, restricted access). Publications must be made accessible during deposit or as soon as possible thereafter. The Institutional Repository allows authors of restricted-access publications to fulfill individual e-print requests from users. The corresponding author is responsible for the quality of the bibliographic information provided.

4. Encourages all faculty members to:
   a) protect the copyrights of their publications whenever possible;
   b) deposit all types of publications and research outputs, such as books, book chapters, reports, working papers, etc., in the Institutional Repository regardless of publication year;
   c) make the full texts of their publications accessible via the Institutional Repository as soon as publisher conditions allow.

   The deposit of publications in no way restricts authors’ choice of publisher or publication venue.

5. Faculty members may be exempted from making the full texts of their publications accessible through the Institutional Repository for a limited period if they document valid reasons (e.g., patent applications, national security, etc.) to the relevant university unit. After the exemption period ends, these publications will be automatically made accessible.

Additionally, Artvin Çoruh University:

• Ensures the collection, organization, and preservation of research results deposited in the Institutional Repository. The Artvin Çoruh University Library is responsible for the establishment and management of the repository. For the efficient use of resources, other university units (e.g., Information Technology Department, Scientific Research Unit, Education Commission, etc.) collaborate with the Library.

• Encourages faculty members to deposit all research datasets that serve as evidence in publicly accessible research reports and/or are cited in peer-reviewed publications in the Institutional Repository or in another suitable open data repository.

• Promotes open access to scientific publications and supports the publication of research outputs in open access journals. The University assists researchers by facilitating deposits, training them in the use of the repository, providing information on copyright, reviewing data management plans, and developing preservation strategies.

Senate Decision