Frequently asked questions

How do I make my work meet the requirements of the REF 2029 open access policy?

We are awaiting guidance for the REF 2029 open access policy for outputs, and would currently advise anyone submitting a journal article or conference paper from 1 January 2021 to follow the REF 2021 open access policy guidance.

If you are funded by UKRI, Wellcome Trust, BHF, CRUK and/or NIHR, please visit Research funders’ open access policies.

If you have any questions regarding REF 2029 please contact Strategic Planning, your department research support staff or the Library's open access team at openaccess@imperial.ac.uk.

My work is eligible for the UKRI open access policy requirements. Will it be eligible for REF 2029?

Yes. UKRI has stated in the UKRI Open Access Policy - explanation of policy changes (pdf) that any UKRI-funded output that is compliant with its new OA policy will meet any ‘future national research assessment open access policy without additional action from the author and/or its institution’.