Wellcome Trust open access publication: guidelines for researchers

What are the Wellcome Trust open access publication requirements?

The Wellcome Trust (WT) now requires its grant holders to deposit an "electronic copy of any research papers that have been accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, and that are supported in whole or in part by Wellcome Trust funding, into PubMed Central (PMC) or UK PubMed Central (UKPMC), as soon as possible and in any event within six months of the journal publisher's official date of publication".

The WT open access position statement gives further details and is supported by a WT author's guide and FAQ.

How do I comply with Wellcome Trust open access publication requirements?

You can comply in one of two ways:

NB: Check the SHERPA Romeo website or contact the publisher to check whether your chosen journal publisher permits either of these options before making any agreement with, or commitment to a publisher.

Route 1: Publish in an open access or hybrid journal

In this case the publisher archives the article in PMC or UKPMC and charges a fee for the service. This is the model preferred by Wellcome Trust, and it therefore makes funds available to the University to cover the cost of the open access fee incurred. You are liable as usual for any other publication fees e.g. colour charges.

Route 2: Self-archiving

Some journals permit self-archiving. You need to confirm that the publisher permits this, but no fee is payable.

Routes 1 and 2 are shown in detail in a flow diagram on the Wellcome Trust website.

What if my chosen publisher does not offer WT compliant open access options?

The Wellcome Trust website provides guidance on dealing with non-compliant publishers.

Support and advice

For further support or advice please contact the Wellcome Trust at:


Quick links

See also