Open Access — free accessibility to research findings

The rules became effective on 1 January 2010 and are not retroactive. Hence, they do not apply to previously approved projects, even though the Swedish Research Council would prefer that everyone publish with open access. Recent studies show that open access publications are disseminated more quickly and cited more frequently. This is one reason why increasingly more research funding bodies are requiring open access.

Researchers receiving grants from the Swedish Research Council must either publish their results in Web-based journals that allow open access, or they must archive the article in an openly searchable database immediately after, or within at least 6 months, of its publication in a traditional journal.

Most Swedish universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) have such databases, as well as staff that can offer practical assistance and advice. Contact your HEI for information on open access publishing at that particular institution (in swedish). If you have basic questions about open access publishing, we welcome you to contact the Swedish Research Council (see contact information below).

If a publisher´s standard agreement does not permit parallel publication within 6 months, the researcher must demand that the publisher make an exception. The parties concerned may use the supplementary agreement that can be found here. If the publisher does not accept these terms, the researcher should publish in another journal. Only in exceptional cases can the Swedish Research Council extend the period preceding open access (up to 12 months maximum), under the condition that the researcher can document his/her efforts to meet the 6-month requirement.
 
Currently, the open access rules apply only to peer reviewed manuscripts in journals and conference reports, not to monographs and book chapters.
 
The Swedish Research Council´s position on open access has been developed in collaboration with the Association of Swedish Higher Education (SUHF).

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