Purpose
Portland State University is a public institution with a commitment to “letting knowledge serve the city.” Consequently, it is essential that we democratize public access to knowledge. Consistent with our ethics of engagement and our dedication to student success (both central features of PSU’s Strategic Plan), the institution commits to making its research and scholarship freely and widely available to prospective and former students, the people of Oregon, and the broader research community. Open Access policies offer one way in which the university can uphold these values by disseminating scholarship beyond traditional publication firewalls. In addition to the public benefit this policy will provide, it is intended to serve faculty interests by the achievement of the following:
- promoting the visibility and accessibility of their work, which will result in greater impact and recognition for the University and faculty;
- helping the faculty and University retain distribution rights; and
- aiding in the preservation of the scholarly record.
PSU Open Access Policy Statement
Faculty members may grant Portland State University permission to make available their scholarly articles. This permission will include the right to reproduce and distribute those articles for open dissemination. In legal terms, each Faculty member may grant Portland State University a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide license to exercise any and all rights under copyright relating to each Faculty member’s scholarly articles. This applies to scholarly articles in any medium, with the purpose of making those articles available in an open access repository, provided that the articles are not sold, and appropriate attribution is given to authors. This policy does not alter a Faculty member’s claim of copyright ownership.
The policy applies to all scholarly articles individually or jointly authored while the person or persons are a member of the Portland State University Faculty. Articles published before the adoption of this policy are exempt. At the request of the Faculty member with copyright authority or ownership of the articles in question, the University will waive application of the license for a particular article, or delay access for a specified period of time.
Explanatory Notes
This open access policy has been adapted from the University of Washington Libraries // CC BY-NC 4.0 license. This language is based on and informed by the policies voted by faculties at Oregon State University, Princeton University, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, Florida State University, the University of California, and others. Extensive information about good practices for university open access policies is provided in a widely endorsed guide from the Harvard Open Access Project.
Get Started with Open Access at Portland State
Deposit Your Scholarly Article
Upload a copy of your article or provide a link to an open access version.
OA Policy FAQ
Get quick answers and see how to comply with the policy.
Publication Agreement Addendum
Reminder to publishers about Portland State University’s OA policy and further ensures familiarity with the terms of the policy.
