Open access is a mandatory requirement for REF eligibility.
The REF 2029 Open Access Policy has now been published, and it will be implemented on 1 January 2026.
Until 31 December 2025, the REF 2021 open access requirements will continue to apply.
This policy applies to journal articles and conference proceedings that have an ISSN, accepted for publication on or after 1 April 2016 and published on or before 31 December 2025.
The Author's Accepted Manuscript (AAM) should be deposited in Pure upon acceptance and no later than 3 months after that date. Please upload the AAM as soon as it has been accepted to allow for processing time.
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This policy applies to journal articles and conference proceedings that have an ISSN, published on or after 1 January 2026.
The Author's Accepted Manuscript (AAM) should be deposited in Pure upon acceptance and no later than 3 months after the publication date. Please upload the AAM as soon as it has been accepted to allow for processing time.
All outputs submitted to REF should be licenced as openly as possible.
The preferred licence is CC-BY or equivalent. However, CC-BY-NC, CC-BY-ND, CC-BY-NC-ND, or licences meeting an equivalent standard of openness are also permitted.