Loyola University Chicago
AC-11: Open Access to Research

Loyola eCommons is an open-access, sustainable, and secure resource created to preserve and provide access to research, scholarship, and creative works created by the university community for the benefit of Loyola students, faculty, staff, and the larger world.

RESOLUTION TO ENCOURAGE OPEN ACCESS PUBLICATION BY
LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO FACULTY
Approved by Faculty Council, April 27, 2016
Authorship: University Libraries, Scholarly Communication Committee
Rationale for the resolution: Open access publication improves the dissemination of scholarship and allows free public access to information, a component of social justice.
Definition: “Open access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions” (http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/brief.htm)
Preamble: In recognition of Loyola’s mission as a Jesuit Catholic institution which includes in its latest strategic plan, Plan 2020, an explicit call to explore new venues for social justice, this resolution calls upon Loyola University Chicago faculty authors to recognize open access to their scholarly works as a means to enhance social justice. Open access publishing seeks to disseminate scholarly works freely to a wider audience who may not otherwise have access to expensive journal subscriptions, but would benefit from the knowledge contained therein. In addition to the public benefit of such dissemination, this policy is intended to serve faculty interests by promoting greater reach and impact for their scholarly works through increased readership and citations. This proposed resolution is not, however, intended to limit the venues of publication or require the faculty to take any specific action.
WHEREAS, Loyola University Chicago is committed to scholarship and the creation of knowledge in diverse disciplines, and
WHEREAS, the faculty of Loyola University Chicago is committed to disseminating the results of its research and scholarship as broadly as possible in the interest of social justice and the spreading of knowledge, and
WHEREAS, the research, teaching, and learning that happens in academia depends on the ability of the community to readily access scholarly information, and
WHEREAS, the subscription fees associated with academic publications continue to grow, making scholarly information less accessible for many, and
WHEREAS, the open access publication of research and scholarship is an increasingly effective option for disseminating and preserving scholarly output, and
WHEREAS, open access to research increases the visibility, accessibility, and impact to society of a faculty member’s scholarly work and advances the interests of the scholarly community, and
WHEREAS, the changing landscape of scholarly publishing has produced a myriad of new publishing models, some of which may be considered predatory in that they prioritize profit over scholarship, therefore
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT
The Faculty Council strongly urges all University faculty to:
1. Consider publishing in, and serving as reviewers and editors for, established, peer-reviewed open access journals which make their contents freely available online
2. Deposit their scholarly work(s) in the Loyola eCommons (ecommons.luc.edu), the University’s institutional repository, and any other appropriate open access repository (e.g., arXiv, PubMed Central, Social Science Research Network, etc.)
3. Review publishing contracts carefully to understand which rights are retained by the author and which rights are transferred to the publisher, and recognize that opportunities may exist to negotiate more favorable terms and options for open access
4. Where appropriate, educate student scholars about the value and importance of maintaining open access to research and scholarly communication
5. Avoid publishing their research in journals with predatory business models, i.e. ones which charge author fees while offering a façade of scholarship through false peer review and editorial boards, illegitimate impact factors, quick acceptance of papers, etc. Faculty should carefully scrutinize unfamiliar journals in their field before submitting research for publication. Both a faculty member’s dean and librarians can provide guidance in such matters. Additional information can be found on the University Libraries’ website about open access and predatory publishing.
It is important to recognize that:
- Publication venue is the author’s decision to make, and this resolution is neither asking nor expecting authors to pay for making articles open access in an open access journal or through a hybrid journal (except where required by funder mandate), nor to forego traditional publishing opportunities if no open access option is available via the publisher. The University Libraries are dedicated to assisting faculty with scholarly activities and is a resource for advice about publication options in all formats.
- Open access to scholarly work can also be achieved by publishing in subscription-based journals, and then making a version of that work available in an open access repository, like Loyola’s eCommons. University Libraries is a resource in determining which open access options are most viable.
- Open access journals are funded in a variety of ways, such as through institutional support and, in some cases, author fees. This resolution urges that faculty carefully examine journal policies prior to submission to understand potential fees, and review publication agreements to understand ways in which articles may be made open access, including through Loyola’s institutional repository, the eCommons, as stated above. Assistance with securing appropriate permission from publishers is available through the University Libraries.

To assist faculty in the preparation or publication of books or article-length manuscripts. The money may be used for such purposes as page charges, color plates/photos, permissions, poster presentations, or creative artwork.
OPEN ACCESS
Scholarly papers, journal articles, posters, conference presentations, etc., that arise, directly or indirectly, out of the work supported by this grant program should be made available to the Loyola University community and beyond. Grant recipients should post relevant research products to Loyola’s eCommons (http://ecommons.luc.edu/) to the extent allowed by copyright. Grant recipients should negotiate with publishers if applicable to ensure that research products are open access. Contact ecommons@luc.edu for assistance with this process.

Office of Research Services has requirements for open access if they provide financial support: https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/ors/pdfsanddocs/research/MPA%20Guidelines2021.pdf for publishing and https://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/ors/pdfsanddocs/research/RSG%20GUIDELINES%202021.pdf for Research Support Grants.

About eCommons

Sponsored by the University Libraries, Loyola eCommons is a networked repository system established to collect, preserve, and provide access to scholarly material produced by the Loyola University Chicago community related to research, teaching, and learning for the benefit of students, faculty, staff, and the larger academic community.

Loyola eCommons facilitates a wide range of scholarly and archival activities, including collaboration, resource sharing, author rights management, digitization, preservation, and access by a global academic audience. Loyola eCommons seeks to support the research, teaching, and learning process through the open-access dissemination of a wide variety of academic works.

Loyola University Chicago's mission speaks to the need for "knowledge in the service of humanity" and "learning and leadership in openhanded and generous ways to ensure freedom of inquiry, the pursuit of truth and care for others." Loyola eCommons is an extension of these core values, providing an online gateway to a wealth of scholarly information and knowledge.

The University Libraries have authored a white paper which provides an introduction to repositories and the open access movement, and lays out the rationale for the creation of such a resource here at Loyola. Click here to download the white paper, " A Digital Repository at Loyola University Chicago."

Under e-Commons LUC hosts open-access journals. Currently limited to:
+Journal of Critical Scholarship on Higher Education and Student Affairs
+Loyola Undergraduate Research in Sustainability
https://ecommons.luc.edu/peer_review_list.html

http://libraries.luc.edu/digital-services

Please note, these 40 divisions are covered under the university policy that is only directly applicable to university funded research. The open access resolution encourages but does not require faculty to publish their work in open access journals or make their work open access.

It does mention financial support. In “A brief description of the open access policy…” is a link to the funding program for publication support including open access. The link is viewable here: http://www.luc.edu/ors/internalfunding.shtml