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City Research Online and REF

City Research Online and REF

Overview

It is the UK higher education funding bodies' requirement to submit certain publications, accepted for publication on or after 1st April 2016, to an institutional repository in order for those publications to be eligible for the REF (Research Excellence Framework). City's institutional repository is City Research Online (CRO). 

Following the closing of the REF2021 exercise on 31st March 2021, a new policy on open access for future assessments is yet to be determined. Until such times as a new policy is announced, Research England have announced that the current policy will remain in place until further notice. Academic and research staff should continue to deposit their research publications to CRO in line with the REF2021 policy detailed in this guide.

What publications are required to be submitted? 

  • Journal articles
  • Conference proceedings with an ISSN

When are they required to be submitted? 

  • Within three months of the date of acceptance 

What version is required to be submitted? 

  • Usually, the Author's Accepted Manuscript (AAM)

How to submit a publication?