6.1. Uploaders should be offered all possible guidance and explanation with regards the various licences open to them, and the degree to which these are compatible with open access principles.
- Creative Commons (2018) Creative Commons Integration, from A to Z: Licence Chooser. (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
6.1.1. This can be done by incorporating some form of ‘Licence Selector’ tool into the upload process. The tools featured here offer examples of how this can be achieved.
- Creative Commons (2018) Creative Commons Integration, from A to Z. (last accessed: 4 July 2018), see “Model Platform”.
- Hamilton, G. and Saunderson, F. (2017) Open Licensing for Cultural Heritage. London, Facet Publishing, chapter 12 (p167-p193).
- Van Piggelen, H. (2018) Eudat: License Selector guide. (last accessed: 18 July 2018).
- ‘Wikimedia’ (2018) Open Content - A Practical Guide to Using Creative Commons Licences/The Creative Commons licencing scheme. (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
- ‘Smartcopying’ (2018) Open Education. (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
6.2. CC-BY 4.0 may be considered as a default standard licence, except in the case of data and datasets.
However any default licence provided should always be accompanied by a selection of alternative licences and comprehensive explanations about the function of each.
The CC-BY 4.0 licence is often considered the ‘gold standard’ open access licence, since it is the least restrictive and allows people to use the licensed content as they choose, provided attribution is provided, and is fully OA compliant. As a note of caution, however, it should always be the uploader who makes the final licence selection.
- Creative Commons UK. (2017). Frequently Asked Questions on Creative Commons & Open Access. Zenodo. (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
6.3. Where uploaders select a licence which is less compatible with open access/science requirements, this should be made clear to them.
This is particularly relevant where uploaders choose Creative Commons licences with NC (non-commercial) or ND (no derivatives) conditions. These licences have been described by Creative Commons as failing to promote ‘free culture’.
- Creative Commons UK. (2017). Frequently Asked Questions on Creative Commons & Open Access. Zenodo. (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
6.4. In the case of software, application of a GNU GPL or BSD/ Apache style licence is recommended.
These licences are:
- The most well-established public licences for free software, and
- The most interoperable licence both in terms of general use and for TDM purposes.
- Creative Commons (2018) Frequently Asked Questions. (last accessed: 4 July 2018), see “Can I apply a Creative Commons license to software?”.
- The Apache Software Foundation (2018) Licensing of Distributions. (last accessed: 19 August 2018)
- GNU Operating System (2018) How to choose a license for your own work. (last accessed: 4 July 2018), see “Software”.
- Open Source Initiative (2018) Licences and Standards. (last accessed 20 August 2018).
6.5. In the case of public sector information, application of an Open Government Licence is mandated by the UK Government Licensing Framework (UKGLF) for all public sector information.
- The National Archives (not dated) Open Government Licence. (last accessed 18 July 2018).
6.6. Ultimately, however, the final decision with regards which licence is applied should rest with the uploader.
- Creative Commons UK. (2017). Fact Sheet on Creative Commons & Open Science. Zenodo. (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
- Creative Commons (2018) Creative Commons Integration, from A to Z: Licence Chooser. (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
- Skills Commons (2018) Open Access Support Sheets: Creative Commons Requirement. (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
6.7. The resources featured here offer comprehensive discussion regarding the benefits of open access principles, and provide an example of how these might be expressed to uploaders.
- Goodman D. (2004) The Criteria for Open Access, Serials Review, 30:4, 258-270. Available at: (last accessed 17 July 2018).
- Sparc Europe (2018) Setting the Default to Open: Open Access. (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
- Wellcome (2018) Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC-BY). (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
- ‘Wikimedia’ (2018) Open Content - A Practical Guide to Using Creative Commons Licences/The Creative Commons licencing scheme. (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
6.8. Account must be taken of any external limitations on the uploader’s choice of licence.
This may be as a result of funding body stipulations or publishers’ requirements.
- Creative Commons UK. (2017). Frequently Asked Questions on Creative Commons & Open Access. Zenodo. (last accessed: 3 July 2018).
6.8.1. The resources featured here, including the European Commission H2020 guidance, provide an example of possible funding body stipulations, with regards making work open access and how this should be done.
- European Commission: Directorate General for Research and Innovation (2017) H2020 Programme Guidelines to the Rules on
Open Access to Scientific Publications and Open Access to Research Data in Horizon 2020 (Version 3.2). (last accessed 18 July 2018). - Hamilton, G. and Saunderson, F. (2017) Open Licensing for Cultural Heritage. London, Facet Publishing, chapter 12 (p167-p193).
- Springer Nature (date unknown) Funders and institutions requiring a CC BY licence for OA articles. (last accessed: 4 July 2018).