Tips on going Open Access with CIAT

Tips on going Open Access with CIAT

1. Publish Open Access:

CIAT encourages scientists to publish in legitimate journals that best suit research needs and reach target users. However, CIAT also encourages researchers to make their research open in order to reach the widest possible audience, especially those from developing countries who cannot afford access to expensive scientific journal subscriptions. With these aims in mind, CIAT journal articles can be published in Gold or Green Open Access journals.

  • Gold Open Access – Gold Open Access journals can either be completely Open Access or they can follow a hybrid model, combining both subscription-based access with Open Access. In some cases, typically in high-impact journals, authors will be asked to pay an Open Access fee ranging from $1,500 to $4,000 USD.
  • Green Open Access – Green Open Access journals will allow authors to self-archive their manuscripts in institutional repositories, like our own CIAT Research Online. In these cases, authors must generally adhere to an embargo period, ranging from 6-24 months. Contact [email protected] for further information.

The publication policies of individual journals can be found in Sherpa/Romeo. Please remember to choose your publisher carefully – you want to make sure you are reaching your target audience and that you are avoiding predatory journals. A list of Open Access journals, with corresponding impact factors can be found in CIATnet.

2. Make ALL of your outputs Open Access, not just journal articles:

Non-academic publications, conference papers, books and book chapters can be stored directly in CIAT Research Online (CGSpace). Send your work to CIAT Library ([email protected]) and we will send you a stable link to use on social media. We collect:

  • Conference Papers
  • Reports
  • Infographics
  • Policy Briefs
  • Books, Book Chapters
  • Web tools, etc…

3. Publish your underlying data:

Whenever possible, after privacy and confidentiality considerations, one should share the data, models, code and other materials that were used to produce the publication. Making these resources available increases the reproducibility and transparency of research.  It also increases efficiency and reduces transaction costs by making it easier for researchers to respond to requests for materials from others. Sharing data also increases the visibility of research. More information about publishing your data will be shared in a blog post later this week. If you have data ready to share, please email Leroy Mwanzia at [email protected] or Carolina Garcia at [email protected].

4. Use your ORCID number:

CIAT repository records are tagged with ORCID numbers. ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) numbers are to authors what DOIs are to publications. They are unique author identifiers which enable works to be attributed to correct authors, despite variations in naming. These numbers keep our repository records tidy and your name consistent.  Please register for an ORCID number here. In future, we hope to be able to track author impact online using ORCID numbers.

5. Use consistent and trackable links:

We track everything in CIAT Research Online (CGSpace) via Altmetric. We also monitor file downloads and visitors by country. In order to generate these statistics, you MUST use the CGSpace handle link whenever you share your work. For academic papers, use the publisher’s DOI.

To clarify:
Academic papers: Link to the DOI (https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2016.1215779)
Everything else: Link to the CGSpace Handle (https://hdl.handle.net/10568/74483)

6. Share your work widely:

Going Open Access gives your work more exposure. It increases the influence your work has on policy and on the research of others. Going Open Access helps ensure that more people can read and apply your research findings!

  • Tweet
  • Blog
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share via news sources…

Always use the CGSpace Handle or DOI.