Open Access Policy at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology: A Case Study

Abstract

The study aimed to diagnose the reality of the Open access policy at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, through analyzing policy documents, indicating the procedures used in its establishment and application, identifying the challenges faced by it, inferring factors and elements influencing the success of the establishment and application of Open access policies, based on the method of case study and content analysis method, using several tools: such as interviewing the person who responsible for the establishment and application of the policy of Open access, and analyzing policy documents based on the elements of the ROARMAP record model, the study concluded a number of conclusions, most notably Following the mandatory pattern of filing, choosing the timing of immediate placement, allowing authors to waive the university's license to make their scientific articles available in accordance with Open access, identifying roles and responsibilities for the interpretation and application of the policy, are influential elements in the content of policy documents, and one of the factors influencing the establishment and application of policies: relying on meeting the needs of the university community and disseminating information culture as important as it is, involving faculty members in their preparation, identifying incentive mechanisms of additional value to researchers, linking the annual evaluation procedures of university community members, which leads to a high compliance rate for the policy.