Open Access FAQs

Here are the answers to some of the most common questions around Open Access and acquiring funding for OA publishing.

If the answer to your question is not found here, don't hesitate to send your enquiry to

What money does the Library offer to cover Open Access funding?

The Library currently administers two grants to assist with open access changes:

One from and specifically for researchers supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
- This includes the Research Councils (AHRC, BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC, MRC, NERC and STFC) and Innovate UK.

One from and specifically for researchers supported by the Wellcome Trust.

How can I access the Library Open Access funding? What are the ‘Read and Publish’ deals?

A ‘read and publish’ agreement is the name for an approach where an individual, organisation or nation collaborate with a publisher to gain access to:

The access to read journal articles from across the publishers catalogue, and;
The right to publish their work, open access, in those same journals.

More information on the ‘read and publish’ agreements available at the University of Warwick can be found on our websiteLink opens in a new window.

Which journals are part of the ‘Read and Publish’ agreements with the University?

A list of journals that are part of ‘Read and Publish’ agreements with the University can be found using our searchable databaseLink opens in a new window (link opens in a new window).

Please note if your journals are not found in this database it may still be eligible for use by your funder, please get in touch with us to confirm at

How do I ensure my article is eligible for submission to the next REF?

Please, ensure that you submit the accepted version (the version after peer-review changes but before any journal copyediting or formatting) of the article to WRAP at the link below as soon as possible, and within three months of the date of acceptance: http://warwick.ac.uk/irsubmitLink opens in a new window Link opens in a new window

More information on open access and the REF can be found in the WRAP webpagesLink opens in a new window Link opens in a new window.

Which types of articles are in/eligible for Open Access funding?

This will depend on the publisher and the type of agreement that we have with them, but in the main, the general item types are as follows:

Eligible:

Original paper: Standard article, usually presenting new results; articles published under this article type may also be referred to as Original Research, Original Article, Original Paper or Research Paper.
Review paper: Standard article, interpreting previously published results.
Brief communication: Short article submitted for rapid publication that exhibits the same structure as a standard article.
Continuing education: Article forming an integral part of further education (usually medical).

Ineligible:

Abstracts, addendums, article commentary, book reviews, books received, calendars, collections, commentaries, contents, correction, corrigendum, discussion, editorial, erratum, in brief, introduction, letter, meeting report, news, obituary, oration, product review, reply, retraction.

Why does my journal’s open access option not meet the requirements of my funder? What should I do if the Library’s annual Open Access fund is exhausted?

Alternative routes are available. You may wish to consider the following alternatives:

Check other funders for OA support
Apply to any department based or institutional publishing support funds, where available.
Use 'green' route: Deposit in an institutional repository under CC BY-NC-ND

If no funding is available via any of these routes, you should be able to make your paper compliant via the 'green' route to compliance by making the accepted version of the article available in an institutional repository under a CC BY-NC-ND licence.