Open Access - worldwide, convenient and free access to scientific knowledge on the Internet: The university shares this goal with more than 500 other scientific and science-related institutions and organisations. It now has its own guideline on open access publishing.
The University of Oldenburg is one of the signatories of the "Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities". Its central demand is that scientific publications should be freely available without technical or financial barriers. The English-language buzzword is "Open Access". Since its publication in 2003, more than 500 universities, non-university institutions, science-related service centres, funding organisations and cultural institutions have signed the declaration.
In line with the Berlin Declaration, the Presidential Board of the University of Oldenburg has now published a guideline on open access publishing for university members. "The Berlin Declaration and our guideline are further building blocks in our efforts to make the published research results of our academics freely accessible and easily available," explains Acting President Prof Dr Katharina Al-Shamery.
Among other things, the Presidential Board advises academics to archive their publications in the institutional repository - an electronic storage location - of the University Library, to publish in peer-reviewed open access journals or to reserve the right to electronic publication or archiving in publishing contracts.
"For authors, open access publishing means greater visibility for their scientific results," emphasises Al-Shamery. "It enables researchers, teachers and students worldwide to participate in the exchange of information and knowledge, regardless of their economic situation or location."
In order to promote open access publishing at the University of Oldenburg, the Presidential Board has also applied to the German Research Foundation (DFG) for funding for a corresponding publication fund. The DFG is expected to make a decision on this in late summer.
