Open Science Policies - Open Access Policy

Scientific articles, books, book chapters and monographs, master's dissertations, and doctoral theses.

Books, book chapters, and monographs resulting from total or partial funding by the FCT and subject to apeer review process are considered books, book chapters, and monographs subject to open access publication requirements.

A book chapter is a work formally published for the first time, together with similar works by other authors in a single publication, forming a permanently identifiable set of contributions on a common theme, with an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). The concept includes book chapters resulting from conferences.

A monograph is a long-form publication that communicates an original contribution to the study of a specific topic or theme and is intended for a primarily academic audience. It may be written by one or more authors.

There are two possible ways to comply with the open access policy:

Via Dourada—Immediate open access publication on the publisher's website or platform

Via Verde—Deposit in an open access repository of work published in closed access

When you choose to publish your book, book chapter, or monograph immediately in open access, that is, making it immediately accessible to anyone, regardless of whether they pay a fee to access it.

When you choose to publish your book in closed access, it will only be immediately accessible to those who pay a price to access it.

The rule is that books, book chapters, and monographs resulting from total or partial funding from the FCT must be published in open access.

However, the Policy provides for the following exceptions to this general principle:

1. When publication can only be done by a publisher who opposes the publication of the accepted manuscript (AAM) in open access;
2. When the work contains content subject to third-party rights, it is not possible to obtain their authorization for it to be published in open access, and the publication of the book, book chapter, or monograph without this content would seriously compromise its meaning and the correct perception of its content.

The cases referred to in paragraph 1 may arise from a situation where there is only one publisher that does not allow open access publication and:

1. Have editorial authority and be able to establish appropriate peer review processes;
2. Possess unique expertise in the subject area of the book;
3. Have appropriate distribution channels to reach the publication's target audience;
4. Be a partner, sponsor, or organizer of a conference that results in the production of a book, book chapter, or monograph;
5. Be the only publisher capable of publishing the book, book chapter, or monograph in the desired language.

It may happen that publishers do not offer the possibility of using any of the available channels to comply with the FCT Open Access Policy. In such cases, authors may seek support and advice from the institution to which they are affiliated or, in cases where such support cannot be provided, from the FCT itself, on the best way to achieve compliance with the Policy. Possible avenues include contacting the publisher to raise awareness of the need to accommodate the requirements of the FCT Open Access Policy or identifying an alternative publisher for the publication.

There may be borderline cases where there is only one publisher capable of publishing the work and that publisher refuses to comply with the Policy. For such cases, see the previous point.

Yes, the open access policy applies to books, book chapters, or monographs that result from full or partial funding from FCT.

The Policy applies to publications resulting from FCT funding. Authors of publications that do not fall within this scope are not required to comply with it.

Yes, all publications resulting from FCT funding, even if this funding only applies to some or a few of the authors, must comply with the FCT Open Access Policy. Authors funded by the FCT must make this obligation clear to their co-authors.

Some content results from participation in conferences and is published by publishers exclusive to the conference. If the publisher does not publish the content in open access, the author should seek to promote the publication of their work in open access under the green route, i.e., by retaining rights to the accepted manuscript (AAM) and subsequently depositing it in an RCAAP network repository. If the work in question is, or forms part of, a book (has an ISBN), the Policy does not apply when the publisher is a partner, sponsor, or organizer of a conference that results in the production of a book, book chapter, or monograph and opposes the publication of the accepted manuscript (AAM) in open access.