Frequently asked questions about the VU Open Access policy

Questions & answers

• How do I register my publications in Pure?

  Find more information on the VU Research Portal (PURE) page.

• What is an open licence?

  This is a licence that stipulates that the creator retains copyright but grants others permission to use the work in advance. A number of standard open licences have been developed for different ways of permitted use by Creative Commons. Examples include CC-BY or CC-BY-NC. So, by publishing via the gold or diamond route, you comply with the VU Open Access policy.

• How do I maintain the copyright?

  When taking out an open (Creative Commons) licence (e.g. CC-BY or CC-BY-NC), you always retain the copyright as a creator. In the case of Closed Access publishing, the publisher will ask you to sign a licence or contract transferring the copyright to the publisher. So if you want to retain copyright, you will have to publish under an open licence. So by publishing via the gold or diamond route, you comply with the VU Open Access policy.

• I would like to publish (automatically Open Access) via the green route, but I have research funding from NWO, is this possible?

  The green route is in principle accepted by NWO, Plan S, Horizon Europe and the ERC, but only if the publication is made available in the repository without an embargo deadline and is published under an open licence. Thus, by having your work automatically made open after 6 months by the University Library, you do not meet the requirements of your grantmaker. NWO offers you the option of immediately making your work Open Access under an open licence through the Rights Retention Strategy. Do you have questions about this or want more information? If so, please contact the Open Access Team at openaccess@vu.nl.

• What if I do not have the budget to publish Open Access in the journal of my choice?

  The VU asks you to publish immediately Open Access under an open licence, whenever possible. If you do not have sufficient funds, you do not need to comply with this principle. Make sure you always check the VU Journal Publishing Guide to see if the VU has a deal for the journal of your choice. If this is not the case, and your publication is a short scientific work, the University Library will make your publication Open Access available in the VU Repository (PURE) 6 months after the original publication date.

• The policy states that all my publications must be available in the VU Repository (PURE). Should I upload all my work in there?

  In principle, yes. There are two exceptions: 

  1. If your work is immediately Open Access published by a publisher (under an open licence) and already included in another reliable repository, it suffices to include a (persistent) link (preferably the DOI) in PURE. 

  2. Short scientific work is made openly available to you in PURE by the University Library, after an embargo of 6 months.

• Why does VU choose to make all short scientific work automatically Open Access?

  VU believes in the core values of Open Science. Not only does open publishing promote equality, but it also ensures that your publications are found by a broader public and have the potential to make more impact. The University Library wants to help you by taking away the administrative burden of making your publications openly available. Of course, you may decide not to make a publication Open Access. In that case, use the form to opt-out.

• Are all my publications eligible to be made Open Access automatically in the VU repository (PURE)?

  No, the regulation only applies to short scientific works. These are articles, 'conference proceedings' and chapters in 'edited volumes'.

• Are my publications immediately made Open Access on 1 January 2023?

  No, making publications Open Access available in PURE also involves some manual work. So by mid-January 2023, publications with a publication date from 2022/2023 will be made available first, after which both newer and older publications will be made publicly available.

• Won't I get into trouble with my publisher if my work is automatically made Open Access after 6 months?

  Dutch law (art. 25fa Auteurswet) gives you the right to publish your own work open access, regardless of the rights you have agreed on with a publisher. This specific part of Dutch law takes precedence over any contract you have signed and takes precedence over foreign law. During the You Share, We Take Care project, publications by hundreds of researchers were made available without any legal objections from publishers. Should a publisher still object, VU Amsterdam guarantees you full legal support. Please contact the University Library at openaccess@vu.nl.

• How can I prevent my publication from being made Open Access available after 6 months?

  You can exclude one or more publications via the opt-out form.

• How do I approach publishing a book Open Access?

  The VU Open Access policy also applies to books, but practice shows that complying with the principles herein is not always feasible yet. An overview of the possibilities for Open Access book publishing can be found in the VU Open Access Books Guidelines.