Open Access Policy at New Paltz

Why do we need an Open Access Policy? 

The SUNY Board of Trustees (BOT) Resolution distributed in 2018 mandated that each SUNY campus develop and implement and Open Access Policy. 

What is the goal of the Open Access Policy? 

The goal of the Open Access Policy is to establish expectations and guidelines for creating an online digital repository for collecting scholarly and creative works by SUNY New Paltz faculty, staff, and students. All SUNY institutional repositories will be linked and searchable through a single interface, the SUNY Open Access Repository (SOAR) 

How does the Open Access Policy affect me? 

The Open Access Policy allows New Paltz faculty, staff, and students to participate in depositing their scholarly and creative works into an open access repository. This is an “opt-in” policy which allows you to deposit your work if you wish. 

To what kinds of works does this policy apply? 

The policy currently covers scholarly and creative work including, but not limited to, peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, monographs or co-authored books, conference papers, technical reports, musical scores, performances, exhibitions and catalogues, podcasts, video, and other digital media. 

Will the policy affect where and how I publish my work (e.g., do I have to publish in an open access journal)? 

The policy does not affect where and how you publish your work. Publishing in open access journals is not required. For more information on open access journals, check out this online guide. 

What do I have to do to comply with this policy?  

The policy is opt-in meaning you are not required to submit your work to our institutional repository but are highly encouraged to do so. You can find information about submitting your work to SOAR here. 

Are other universities implementing Open Access policies?  

Yes, every SUNY is required to develop and implement an Open Access Policy as mandated by the SUNY Board of Trustees 2018 memo.  

According to the Registry of Open Access Repository Mandates and Policies (ROARMAP), more than 1,000 organizations worldwide have open access policies, 732 of which are research organizations (as of 12/2018). (Source: Potsdam College Libraries)

How can I find out the copyright and self-archiving policies of a particular publisher? 

Visit Sherpa Romeo to review the copyright and self-archiving policies of several scholarly journals 

Does this policy cover student works and theses? 

Theses are not covered by this policy and students are expected to deposit them as part of degree completion. Those theses will be made available through SUNY Open Access Repository (SOAR). The student must with deposit the thesis or complete a form to “opt out.” This policy does cover other works by students including those works co-authored with faculty members. 

If a work has multiple authors, do all authors have to agree to deposit? 

Yes 

My publisher will allow me to make my pre-pub manuscript available after an embargo period of one year.  Do I have to wait to deposit it?   

As long as you indicate the embargo period at the time of submission, you can submit your work right away.  It will be tracked in the electronic archives and made available when the embargo period has expired.   

My scholarly work takes a variety of forms. How do I decide what to deposit? 

This is an individual decision, but you might think in terms of major creative works that would be included in a dossier for reappointment, tenure or promotion.  A variety of digital formats can be used. For example, the catalog from a juried exhibition could be deposited, or images of the works.  A musical composition could be deposited as a score, or digital recording of a performance, or both.  

If I deposit my work, what rights do I retain? How can I control how others may use my work?  

It depends upon who owns the copyright. If you retain copyright or it has been published under a Creative Commons license, you will be able to submit it to SUNY NP’s OAR. If the publisher retains copyright, you need to follow their policies.  You can check the journal’s policies at Sherpa Romeo 

If you published in an Open Access journal, your work will most likely have a Creative Commons License attached which is set by the journal. Visit this Creative Commons website for more information. 

Will those who review my personnel file for reappointment, tenure, and /or promotion know whether or not I have opted to deposit my work? Will it affect the outcome of my review? Or, if I am a student, will it affect my grades or my standing in my program?   

The decision to deposit or not will not have any bearing on personnel decisions or student standing.