Open for good: rights retention at the University of Leeds

The updated University of Leeds Publications Policy that came into effect on 1st January this year will support researchers to retain intellectual property rights in their work. The updated policy reflects a sector wide move led in the UK by the University of Edinburgh with similar policies being adopted across all the N8 Universities. While the policy still emphasises the importance of peer-reviewed research articles, it also encourages researchers to make a broader range of their outputs available throughout the research process.
The updated policy also requires authors to identify all contributors in all roles in all research outputs. This aligns with research culture initiatives to make sure all contributions are valued and recognised. They must also include a Data Access Statement, even when there are no data associated with the publication or the data are inaccessible.
For this online event, we are very pleased to welcome Dr Theo Andrew, Scholarly Communication Manager at the University of Edinburgh, to talk about how and why their policy was developed, and lessons learned since its launch in 2021.
The event will be introduced by Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation Professor Nick Plant who will discuss how this updated policy complements our Open Research statement to support an inclusive and collaborative research culture. We will also hear from Associate Director: Research & Digital Futures Claire Knowles and Library colleagues about how this policy takes us a significant step forward on the journey to full and immediate open access.
Theo Andrew is the Scholarly Communications Manager based in the Library Research Support section at the University of Edinburgh. His work focuses on enabling researchers and students to adopt open research practices in their everyday work activities. Theo leads the Scholarly Communications Team who provide specialised training, tools, advocacy and support services for Open Research at the University of Edinburgh. Prior to working in the Library, Theo trained as a Field Geologist and has a PhD in Geoscience.