Open access policy at the University of Minnesota

The University's Open Access to Scholarly Articles policy provides options for University authors to promote access to research and scholarship.

The University of Minnesota's policy on Open Access to Scholarly Articles was developed by University faculty and approved by the Faculty Senate. It is adapted from similar policies at other US institutions, including Harvard, MIT, and Duke. A policy FAQ is centrally maintained.

Wider access supports the University’s mission to make "the knowledge and resources created and preserved at the University accessible to the citizens of the state, the nation, and the world."

Information for authors

  • Authors are not required to make articles open under this policy, or to take any other specific actions.
  • The policy grants the University a limited, shared right to make articles available to the world. It only applies to articles that are the result of research by employees at the University, and authors retain copyright ownership.
  • Authors have the option to use the license created by this policy to share their works.
  • Authors are still able to publish in the venues of their choice, and to choose whether or not make their work openly available.
  • If an author does not want the University to have a right to make their article available, the author can request a waiver of the policy, which will automatically be granted.
  • This policy only affects scholarly articles created after January 1, 2015.

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Support from the Libraries

The University of Minnesota Libraries support the Open Access to Scholarly Articles policy by

  • providing access to the University Digital Conservancy, where authors can openly share their publications,
  • consulting with authors to help them understand the policy and their publication agreements, and
  • facilitating the waiver process.

The University Digital Conservancy (UDC) provides University of Minnesota authors a location to self-deposit their materials.

The UDC

  • provides free and world-wide open access to scholarly works,
  • increases visibility of research,
  • ensures compliance with public access requirements,
  • and provides full-text discoverability and long-term preservation.

Explore additional features at the UDC site.

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Contact openaccess@umn.edu for more information.