Open Access (OA) in Pure — How it Works

This page explains how Pure evaluates Open Access for research outputs, how REF OA scope is determined, which roles can see the Assessment section, and how Pure derives the “Suggested” REF OA status you see in the editor.

At a glance

Pure determines whether an output is in scope for REF OA based on output type, publication status, year window, and (for conference items) ISSN.

Pure records two key dates from your files: a Deposited date (when an eligible version is added) and an Access date (when the file is or will be open).

Pure calculates a Suggested REF OA status (e.g., Compliant (OK), Indeterminate, REF OA Compliance NOT MET – Confirm exception applicability, Not compliant confirmed, No full publication date input) using policy‑specific rules and a configuration that controls whether timing is based on acceptance or publication.

Where crucial data are missing (e.g., acceptance date or ISSN in certain cases), Pure will explain that it cannot calculate a suggested status.

Your editors can still set an Actual status after review.

Who can see the Assessment section

The REF Assessment section is visible to:

Users with the roles ref2020‑administrator, or publication‑administrator.

Any additional roles your institution has configured for REF access (commonly publication‑editor).

Users without one of the allowed roles will not see the Assessment section.

What counts as “in scope” for REF OA

An output is considered in scope when all of the following are true:

Output type

One of:

• Contribution to journal
• Contribution to specialist publication
• Conference contribution with ISSN

Other types are out of scope and will be labelled Non‑applicable research output type.

Publication status and dates (policy-aware)

Pure supports two policy phases with different date anchors:

• REF 2021 OA Policy (typically acceptance‑anchored): the Accepted/In press status/date is used to determine scope and timing.
• REF 2029 OA Policy (typically publication‑anchored): e‑pub ahead of print or Published is required to determine scope and timing.

ISSN for conference items

Conference contributions must have an ISSN to remain in scope. If it is missing, Pure cannot calculate the suggested status (see “When Pure cannot calculate a status”).

Out‑of‑scope behavior

If an output is out of scope, the Assessment section shows a single message: Research output is out of scope of REF Open Access Policy. No OA status is displayed.

The information Pure looks at

To calculate a suggested REF OA status, Pure uses:

Output metadata

Output type and (for conference items) ISSN

Publication statuses and dates: Accepted/In press, e‑pub ahead of print, Published

Files (Electronic versions)

Document version: Proof, Accepted author manuscript (AAM), or Final version

Public access: Open or Embargo (with an embargo end date)

Dates Pure records from files

Deposited date: recorded when a valid document version (Proof/AAM/Final) is added and saved with Open or Embargo access.

Access date:

If Open: the Access date is the Deposited date (it’s open immediately).

If Embargo: the Access date is the embargo end date.

Policy configuration

Use acceptance date for deposit timing when determining REF2029 Open Access status, setting found in administrator → system settings → REF2029 controls which date anchors the deposit deadline in REF 2029 OA Policy:

enabled → use acceptance date

disabled → use publication date (default setting)

Exception handling

REF exception can be set to No exception or left null.

When null, Pure will surface “Confirm exception applicability” for not‑met scenarios; when No exception, Pure may confirm non‑compliance.

How deposit and access timing works

Deposit timing

REF 2021 OA Policy: Deposit must occur within 3 months of the acceptance date.

REF 2029 OA Policy: Deposit must occur within 3 months depending on Use acceptance date for deposit timing when determining REF2029 Open Access status setting, of:

• the acceptance date if setting is enabled, or
• the publication date if setting is disabled, this is the default.

Access timing

• REF 2021 OA Policy: The file must become Open within 1 month of the Deposited date or on the embargo end date (if embargoed).
• REF 2029 OA Policy: The file must be Open on the Deposited date (i.e., same day) or on the embargo end date (if embargoed).

For embargoed items, Pure uses the embargo end date as the Access date. For non‑embargoed items, Access date = Deposited date.

Embargo thresholds

When an output would otherwise satisfy OA rules but is embargoed, the policy applies thresholds:

REF 2021 OA Policy

Embargo > 24 months → REF OA Compliance NOT MET – Confirm exception applicability (or Not compliant confirmed if exception = No exception).

Embargo 13–24 months (inclusive) → Indeterminate (Pure flags that this may still be compliant depending on policy/exceptions).

REF 2029 OA Policy

Embargo > 12 months → REF OA Compliance NOT MET – Confirm exception applicability (or Not compliant confirmed if exception = No exception).

Embargo 7–12 months (inclusive) → Indeterminate.

If an output is explicitly linked to a Unit of Assessment (UOA) and the embargo has exceeded the threshold, Pure escalates to Not MET / Not compliant confirmed depending on whether an exception has been set.

Suggested REF OA statuses you’ll see

Pure shows two fields when a calculation is possible: Suggested (system‑derived) and Actual (editor‑set). The Suggested status is one of:

1) Compliant (OK)

Deposit is within the 3‑month window from the relevant date (acceptance or publication per policy/config), and

Access is on time:

• REF 2021 OA Policy: within 1 month of deposit, or on the embargo end date.
• REF 2029 OA Policy: on the deposit date, or on the embargo end date.

2) REF OA Compliance NOT MET – Confirm exception applicability

Occurs when REF exception is null and any of the following is true:

Not deposited and the deadline has passed.

Deposited, but more than 3 months after the relevant date.

Accessed late (not within Phase‑1 tolerance / not same day in REF 2029 OA Policy).

Deposited but not made accessible within the tolerance (Phase‑1 one month; Phase‑2 same‑day expectation); the grace period has elapsed.

Embargo exceeds the phase threshold.

3) Indeterminate

Used when timing windows haven’t expired yet or an embargo is within a borderline range:

Not yet deposited, but still within the 3‑month window.

Deposited but not yet accessible, and still within the access tolerance or waiting for the embargo date.

Embargo is within the “borderline” range (REF 2021 OA Policy: 13–24 months; REF 2029 OA Policy: 7–12 months) and the output is otherwise compliant.

4) Not compliant confirmed

Same conditions as Not MET, but the REF exception field is set to No exception. This confirms non‑compliance.

5) No full publication date input

(REF 2029 OA Policy when publication is the timing anchor)

If Use acceptance date for deposit timing when determining REF2029 Open Access status is disabled and the e‑pub/published date is missing or incomplete (no month/day), Pure cannot time the deposit and shows this status.

When Pure cannot calculate a suggested status

Pure will show a clear message instead of a status when required data are missing:

Missing acceptance date

Required when acceptance is the timing anchor (REF 2021 OA Policy, and REF 2029 OA Policy if Use acceptance date for deposit timing when determining REF2029 Open Access status is enabled).

Missing ISSN for Conference contribution

For Conference contributions, an ISSN is required to remain in scope and to calculate a status.

When an output is out of scope, Pure shows only the out‑of‑scope message and does not display a suggested status.

“Suggested” vs “Actual” status

Suggested is generated automatically from metadata, files, dates, embargo, and configuration.

Actual can be set by an authorized editor after review (for example, when applying an official REF exception or resolving edge cases). Both are displayed when a calculation is possible.

Typical workflows (examples)

Immediate OA (no embargo), REF 2029 OA Policy with acceptance‑based timing

Editor adds an AAM with Open access on the day of acceptance.

Deposited date = today; Access date = today.

Deposit is within 3 months of acceptance; access is on the deposit date → Compliant (OK).

Embargoed deposit, REF 2021 OA Policy

AAM is added with Embargo set to 6 months after acceptance.

Deposited date = when the file is added; Access date = embargo end date.

Deposit occurs within 3 months; access occurs on the embargo end date → Compliant (OK) (embargo length is acceptable; access is timely).

Late deposit

File is added more than 3 months after the timing anchor (acceptance/publication per phase/config).

Suggested = REF OA Compliance NOT MET – Confirm exception applicability.

If the editor sets REF exception = No exception, Actual may be set to Not compliant confirmed.

Tips & common pitfalls

Add an eligible file version early. Use Accepted author manuscript or Proof if the Final version is not yet available.

Set embargo end dates precisely. Pure uses the embargo end date to judge timely access.

Complete the key dates. Acceptance date (where used) and e‑pub/published date must be present to avoid “cannot calculate” or “No full publication date input.”

Conference outputs need an ISSN. Without it, Pure cannot calculate a suggested status for conference contributions.

Use the REF exception field judiciously. Leaving it blank triggers “Confirm exception applicability” in not‑met scenarios; setting No exception confirms non‑compliance.