Open Access Policy and Strategy of the Technischen Universität Clausthal

Open access is intended to

• increase the level of awareness and citation frequency of scientific publications by members of Clausthal University of Technology
• promote knowledge transfer, interdisciplinary research and international exchange
• accelerate publication processes and thus enable more efficient research through faster exchange of research results
• Improve the visibility and findability of publications in search engines and scientific databases.

The TUC recognizes that Open Access is a step in the transformation of the scientific information culture, which can be followed by the opening of research data (Open Data) and research processes (Open Science) as further steps.

Clausthal University of Technology declares the support and promotion of Open Access in the sense of the Berlin Declaration to be a strategic goal.

• The TUC supports its scientists in the publication of scientific OA formats and in the development of OA publication channels that are independent of publishers.
• The TUC encourages its scientists to publish their scientific work in OA journals, provided that a scientifically suitable OA journal is available.
• The TUC supports its scientists in the payment of publication costs.
• The TUC expects its scientists and scholars to exercise their right to digital secondary publication of their scientific publications in the sense of OA. The University Library operates the publication server of Clausthal University of Technology for the implementation of the second publication.
• In this context, the TUC recommends its scientists:inside to reserve the exploitation rights for electronic versions of publications.
• The TUC also encourages its scientists to make research data available OA.

The free choice of publication options and the freedom of research remain unaffected by these guidelines.

The following fields of action and actors are decisive for the success of the implementation of the OA strategy. The progress and development of OA will be monitored and made visible using indicator figures. Optimally, the majority of scientific articles should appear Open Access in 2025.

University management

The university management of the TUC continuously develops the Open Access Strategy in dialogue with the scientists and supports the scientists in the implementation of the strategy.

• The Senate will instruct the Senate Commission on DV Media to continuously develop the topic of Open Access and the Open Access Strategy.
• The university management will provide the financial means for the operation and further development of the publication server, a publication fund, and for legal advice on publishing in Open Access.
• The university management will appoint an Open Access Officer to advise all university members on Open Access issues.
• The university management will develop its position on the expansion of Open Access with regard to Open Data and Open Science in consultation with the academic staff.
• The university management will inform scientists and scholars about the current right of secondary publication for scientific contributions and motivate them to make use of this right or to reserve the corresponding rights for secondary publication in the author contracts.
• The university management will ensure that open access publications are also taken into account in recruitment and appointment procedures as well as in evaluations of academic performance.

University Library

The university library supports the university management in the implementation of the Open Access strategy. It coordinates and promotes Open Access activities by providing suitable services.

• The University Library will maintain the publication server, make it available for use by researchers, and coordinate long-term archiving measures with other universities in Lower Saxony.
• The University Library will manage a publication fund from which publication fees for open access publications, where all contributions are freely available immediately after publication, can be financed.
• The University Library will provide information to scholars:inside on the topic of Open Access (e.g., on the website, via informational brochures, etc.).
• The University Library will annually record the growth in open access publications on the publication server, the number of accesses to the publication server, and the number of applications for financial support to the publication fund as indicator figures and publish them on its website.

Scientists

The scientists and scholars at Clausthal University of Technology are the ones who bring Open Access to life at Clausthal University of Technology through their publishing behavior. They receive the best possible support from the university management and the university library.

• The scientists will learn about the different possibilities to publish Open Access through the Open Access Policy and the information provided by the university management and the university library.
• The scientists will get to know and use the possibilities for legal advice as well as for applying for funds for publishing in Open Access publications.
• The scientists should regularly use the publication server of the TUC to make their publications available in Open Access.
• The scientists should upload a copy of the published paper or the peer-reviewed and accepted manuscript to the publication server as early as possible, but no later than at the time of publication, with an indication of when the publication can be made Open Access (with regard to the publishing contract). "Publication" also includes conference papers, posters, and research reports, provided they contain notable research results.

Adopted on June 16, 2015 by the Senate of the Claustha University of Technology.l