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Open Access and Publishing Policy

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Open Access and Publishing Policy

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide direction for the AAS, those that it funds and its sponsors to make their research and its associated data freely available to others, and to ensure that research resulting from AAS funding is optimized for the benefit of those who produce it — not for its monetization by the publisher — and for the greater advancement of science.

Policy Statement

a) General Statement

The intention of the AAS is to ensure that the research it sponsors is made available for others to reproduce, extend, refute, confirm, etc., to ensure maximum impact of the Academy’s investment. 

b) Budgetary Provisions

The AAS supports open and unrestricted access to the published output of its funded innovations and research. In doing so, the AAS will provide grant holders with a budget allocation for Article Processing Charges (APCs) for publishing work Open Access within the following constraints:

  • APCs not to exceed US$ 2,500 per full research article, including data deposition.
  • Publication must meet the standard of “Gold Open Access”, i.e., immediate access with zero embargo, authors retain all rights under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY) – or more permissive – license, all data upon with research claims are made are also made fully available/searchable/minable and there is a robust archival function that assures persistent availability of the full research output.
  • Publication must not be in a predatory journal or platform.  A journal or platform is considered non-predatory if it is listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) AND/OR is indexed in PubMed or other global indexes, AND/OR has a demonstrable record of rigorous peer review (before or after publication), transparent pricing and a reputable, confirmable editorial or advisory board of relevant experts.
  • There are two mechanisms through which AAS-funded innovators and researchers can access additional funds to cover APC costs.

o By awarding additional ring-fenced funds for APCs to an institution where the AAS sponsors multiple programmes in the same institution.

o A funded programme, innovator or researcher directly requests additional funding for the purpose of paying APCs.  In this case, innovators or researchers seeking APCs must submit a request form for this purpose (request your Programme Manager for this form).

  • APCs may not be requested upfront on application forms; costs will be met from supplementary budgets held at the AAS.

c) AAS Open Research

  • AAS Open Research (AASOR), serviced by F1000, is the publishing platform sponsored by the Academy. It offers AAS-affiliated researchers the opportunity to publish their work immediately, with transparent peer review on a platform that is fully and immediately accessible and accepts varied research outputs. Those eligible for submission of work to AASOR include any researcher or student who receives or has received funding from the AAS, AAS Fellows, AAS Affiliates, AAS professional staff or any researcher affiliated with an AASOR partner organization. 

AAS Open Research for more information.

Procedure

d) Research Data from AAS-funded Innovators and Researchers

  • Open access to research data resulting from AAS funding must be available in an easy, immediate, user-friendly format that is Internet-based.
  • Data access arrangements should respect the legal rights and legitimate interests of all stakeholders.

e) Research Findings from AAS-funded Innovators and Researchers

  • Must maximise opportunities to make their results available for free through open access publishing.
  • Must ensure that electronic copies of any research outputs that have been accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal or platform and are supported in whole or in part by the AAS are made available in perpetuity through relevant and suitable repositories immediately upon publication; this requirement applies to all grants regardless of award date.
  • Must license research papers using the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (CC-BY) such that research outputs may be freely copied and re-used (for example, for text and data-mining purposes), provided that such uses are fully attributed; this applies in all cases where an APC is paid by the AAS.  The requirement to publish under a CC-BY licence only applies to research articles.