cOAlition S Rights Retention Strategy (RRS) aims to help authors retain and assert their rights so that they can assign a CC BY licence to their Author Accepted Manuscripts. This means they can use their own intellectual creation as they choose, and be compliant with their cOAlition S funder’s OA policy where this is required or an obligation. See a detailed Primer on the Rights Retention Strategy by Prof Stephen J. Eglen.
cOAlition S recognises that copyright is a complex and daunting topic for researchers to understand. Most researchers are pressed for time and mainly concerned about completing the publishing process of their article. Authors are able to seek RRS advice from their funder, but often turn to their local institutional librarian to find out what they have to ‘do’ to comply with their funder’s OA policy.
cOAlition S has produced a number of resources that are available to be used freely by institutional support staff such as librarians, as part of their support services for their researchers. Some are released under an open licence and can therefore be adapted for use in a local setting.
Suggestions for use are offered below. cOAlition S welcomes news and examples of how libraries have used these resources to assist their researchers, and any feedback from researchers that can be shared. Please feel free to send cOAlition S your suggestions for additional resources that would be useful to you and researchers at your institution.
Resource | Purpose | Suggestions for use |
---|---|---|
RRS Resources page | Suite of resources to support Rights Retention Strategy | Resources can be used freely to enhance information and training for researchers |
User Guide for pre-submission & covering letter templates | Information for researchers and others about why and how to use the two mentioned resources. Includes links to the pre-submission letter template and the submission covering letter. | ♦ Edit the text to match your local situation ♦ Amend to incorporate your institutional branding and style ♦ Use in training and information materials ♦ Includes guidance and links to Pre-submission message and covering letter template |
Pre-submission message template text | Use to request clarity from a potential publisher on journal policy regarding author rights retention. May be used for an exploratory query to a number of journals or just prior to submission when planning an article. | ♦ Edit the text to match your local situation ♦ Amend to incorporate your institutional branding and style |
Submission covering letter template text | Use as part of a covering letter when submitting an article, to request clarity from a potential publisher on the chosen journal’s policy regarding author rights retention. | ♦ Edit the text to match your local situation ♦ Amend to incorporate your institutional branding and style |
RRS Quiz | Questions intended to help authors learn about and understand the consequences of transferring or granting exclusive rights to a publisher, and to explain some of the benefits of the RRS | ♦ Use in training and information materials ♦ Link from library or other website |
RRS explainer video | A brief video to explain how to use the RRS and the reason for doing so | ♦ Use in training and information materials ♦ Link from library or other website |
Powerpoint slide deck on RRS | ♦ To help inform researchers why and how to use the RRS. ♦ To inform authors of the need to retain and assert their rights. ♦ To stress the message that copyright is power – whoever controls those rights, controls permitted uses of the work. ♦ To support presentations to senior management on rights retention. | ♦ Use for training and advocacy for researchers on rights ownership, retention and assertion ♦ ‘Cherry pick’ and adapt slides for use when (for example) making a case for an institutional rights retention policy. |
Guest blog posts describing rights retention-type policies adopted by institutions | To enable others to learn from colleagues who have gone through the process of adopting and implementing such a policy. Available on cOAlition S sOApbox blog page: ♦ Arctic University of Norway Tromsø (UiT) ♦ University of Edinburgh ♦ University of Cambridge ♦ Birkbeck University of London ♦ Sheffield Hallam University ♦ Norwegian University of Science and Technology ♦ University of St Andrews | To inform discussions around adopting a similar policy at your institution |
Tag line: Publish with Power – Protect your Rights | Easily memorable core message of RRS | ♦ Use in your literature and on any training materials ♦ Use as hashtag on social media: #PublishWithPower – #RetainYourRights |
Funder Provided Materials | cOAlition S funders often openly provide open access policy materials tailored to their specific grantee audience. For example: ♦ Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ♦ Dutch Research Council (NWO) ♦ Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR) ♦ Wellcome Trust | ♦ Reuse these specific materials for tailored audiences ♦ Use in conjunction with Plan S implementation roadmap that includes direct links to funders’ policies |
Examples of RRS support resources created by libraries | Great examples of resources created by librarians. This list provides a handful of examples. If you’d like your RRS support resources listed here, or know of an excellent example that’s not already included, contact us. ♦ Coventry University ♦ University of South Australia ♦ University of Stirling & statement | ♦ Gain inspiration by seeing what library colleagues have created ♦ Learn from peers ♦ Please check individual permissions before making use of these examples. |
Rights Retention primer | This primer by UKRN offers researchers guidance and reassurance in adopting this approach, even as more and more institutions adopt supportive strategies. ♦ Rights retention: A Primer from UKRN | Use in your literature and on any training materials |
List of institutional rights-retention open-access policies (IRRPs) | The Open Access Directory (OAD) has developed a list of institutional rights-retention open-access policies (IRRPs) ♦ Institutional rights-retention open-access policies (IRRPs) | Find in one place all institutional rights retention related policies |