Which journal should I publish in? And what options do different journals offer with regard to Open Access? The Open Policy Finder provides an overview of these questions, helping you to publish in Open Access with full knowledge of the facts.
The Open Policy Finder was published by the British Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) at the beginning of November 2024. The new platform combines the functionalities of previous services such as Sherpa Romeo and Sherpa Juliet in a new design and provides a practical overview of the policies of almost all journal publishers, for example with regard to parallel publication in Open Access repositories. The Open Policy Finder thus provides information about permitted versions and publisher restrictions regarding the self-archiving of journal articles. This makes it a helpful tool for selecting a suitable journal or publication location.
You can search for journals, publishers or research funding organisations. This way, authors are supported in making well-informed decisions regarding their own Open Access publications and in selecting the appropriate type of Open Access. Although the respective policies can in principle be found on the publishers’ websites themselves, the tool makes the work easier by providing a quick overview and eliminating the need to search on the journal websites.
The detailed views of the journals contain information on if and which Open Access options are offered in each case.
The search for funding organisations is designed to help you find out what these organisations require of applicants for third-party funded projects with regard to Open Access. This database, formerly known as Sherpa Juliet, contains up-to-date information on the requirements of research funding organisations with regard to Open Access, publications and data archiving. Since the focus here is on British research funding organisations and only some other research funding institutions are included, this section is of limited use to researchers from other countries. Other parts of the new platform also have a UK-specific focus.
Tip: The Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies (ROARMAP) can be used as an alternative tool for checking funding requirements. It includes a searchable overview of Open Access policies and mandates of funding organisations, research institutions and repositories. It shows researchers not only the extent to which Open Access requirements apply as a result of project funding, but also on the part of their university.
Are you interested in further information about Open Access publishing? The Open Economics Guide, for example, provides information about the different types of Open Access, gives tips on self-archiving and shows ways of sharing versions of your work even with a publishing contract.