Open Access Archivangelism

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Correction: Finland's U. Tampere's OA self-archiving policy was erroneously listed as a mandate. It is not. It is merely a request, not a requirement. As such, it is likely to fail, just as the first version of the NIH Public Access Policy failed, for its first two years, while it was just a request (5% compliance), until it was upgraded to a requirement, whereupon it became successful (over 60% compliance within a year, and growing).

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On 17 November 2008 the Rector set up a work group to prepare for the parallel depositing of research publications, the aim being to improve the open access to research publications at the University of Tampere. Led by Vice-Rector Arja Ropo, the work group completed its proposal on 30 March 2009 and on 31 March 2009 submitted its proposal to the Rector.

The University of Tampere offers its researchers an opportunity to improve the open access to and visibility of their publications by offering them a publication channel for parallel depositing and the necessary support.

According to the proposal of the work group the Rector would:

• request researchers working at the University as of 1 January 2011 to deposit copies of their research articles accepted for publication in scientific journals in the institutional repository provided by the University of Tampere and

• encourage researchers to deposit copies of their publications in the University’s repository before the decision comes into force.

Research articles refers in this Decision to single articles to be published in scientific refereed journals, in the University’s own publication series, in conference publications or other compilations. The final publisher’s version of the article should be deposited in the repository or then the author’s last version of the article revised in response to referees’ comments (according to the publisher’s policy).

The University of Tampere hereby undertakes to provide researchers with the support services required for parallel depositing. The University of Tampere will endeavour to improve publication information systems and to design the process of depositing in a researcher-centred manner.

In addition to the research articles referred to in the Decision, other kinds of publications which may be stored in the open depository provided by the University of Tampere include popular articles, other published written texts, serial publications of University departments, teaching material and, if the publication agreements allow, also monographs.

The decision can be viewed at http://www.uta.fi/kirjasto/palvelut/decision_OA.pdf

At present publications can be deposited in the Tampub repository. When the Rector’s Decision comes into force on 1 January 2011 it is planned to store publications in the open repository of the University Alliance Finland (http://www.yliopistoallianssi.fi/alliance.html).

University's doctoral dissertations are deposited in the Acta (http://acta.uta.fi/english/).

Master's and licentiate theses are deposited in the Thesis (http://tutkielmat.uta.fi/index_en.php).

The open repositories of the University of Tampere are maintained by the Tampere University Library.