REF 2029 Consultation FAQs
The higher education funding bodies are consulting on proposed open access requirements for REF 2029, which include significant changes and adjustments to the current policy.
REF have provided a 2021/2029 comparison guide here.
A brief set of FAQs is available below; please contact the relevant service for more information on the current and/or proposed policy:
· For deposit queries, please contact sro@sussex.ac.uk
· For Open Access queries, please contact openaccess@sussex.ac.uk
- Journal Articles and Conference Proceedings
o Will I still need to deposit my paper on acceptance?
Yes, the Library still advises that you ‘act on acceptance’ to ensure you meet both the current and proposed policies. A guide on depositing your Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) is available here: Elements Libguide
o Do I need to deposit my paper if I’m publishing Gold Open Access?
Yes, the Library advises that you deposit the AAM on acceptance; the SRO team will then add the published version to the record at the time of publication.
o Will I be compliant with REF2029 if I publish Gold Open Access?
You can comply with the current REF2021 policy by publishing your paper Open Access; compliance with the proposed REF2029 policy will depend on your choice of open license; Sussex recommends choosing the CC-BY license to ensure compliance with funder/REF/institutional policy. See here for more info on licenses: Creative Commons Licences guide
o How do I apply for an exception to the policy?
Please refer to the current REF2021 list of exceptions on our pages; contact sro@sussex.ac.uk to request an exception if your paper is non-compliant.
o Can I comply with the policy without publishing Gold Open Access?
Yes, you can still publish in a journal that doesn't offer an Open Access option but you'll need to deposit your AAM on Elements as soon after acceptance as possible; the Library team will then ensure that an appropriate version is made available at the time of publication with a compliant license. This route to compliance is enabled by our Publications & Copyright policy.
- Books
o I’m planning on publishing a book, does it need to be Open Access?
The proposed REF2029 policy on books will apply to books published after a certain date (as confirmed by the consultation); this is currently slated to be 1st January 2026. To discuss Open Access options for work in development, please contact openaccess@sussex.ac.uk
o I've already signed a contract for my book, will it need to be Open Access to be 'REFable'?
No, the consultation includes an exception for outputs for which publication agreements were put in place before 1st January 2026. If your estimated publication date falls after this date and there is scope to make the work Open Access, we advise that you discuss this with your publisher.
o Is there institutional funding available for Open Access books to meet the proposed REF2029 requirements?
No. The Library supports a variety of initiatives aimed at making books Open Access (see the bottom of our agreements page) but does not administer any dedicated funds to pay Book Processing Charges (BPCs). Those authors acknowledging UKRI funding may apply for use of the UKRI dedicated fund (see below).
o I'm funded by UKRI, do I need to make my work Open Access?
Yes, UKRI's policy now includes articles, conference proceedings, monographs, chapters and edited collections. More information can be found on our UKRI pages. Please contact openaccess@sussex.ac.uk to discuss options.