I don't agree with all the points here against REF OA rules - but I am glad we are raising the *cost* aspect again. In time of financial stringency REF seems to conveniently forget that SO MUCH reserch is "unfunded" & so our employers choose who gets ££ to pay for OA www.hepi.ac.uk/2024/06/11/o...
& yes yes there are ways around this, e.g. limit yourself to only the journals which your uni has signed up to or are gold OA; never write a book; etc. But reality is even at wealthy unis I've heard of 'prioritising' OA fees for some ppl/making staff ask for permission b4 publishing/etc. It's real.
My grant explicitly prohibits its use for publishing costs, and I even asked if I could repurpose unspent funds given the new Ref landscape and was told no.
So we'll see. I'd really like my book to be OA, and the publisher prefers it, but I don't have that kind of cash in my hip pocket!!
Even the OA agreements that the uni (or Norway in general) have signed up to have limits on how many articles they will cover & irs less than pubs - basically the money runs out by summer. if you get an accept in fall, you can’t get it under agreement so either dept or faculty (or you?) have to pay.
