Open access

Open access for Arthritis UK researchers

Please note that from 10 June 2026, open access support has moved to an online form-based submission; this replaces the previous process requiring submission through Grant Tracker.

Submission of open access requests is no longer required in advance of the publication, instead please adhere to all the required criteria as below to ensure your request is valid and can be approved.

We are committed to ensuring the knowledge and discoveries which result from our research are available freely and immediately for the benefit of all. Open access is an important means of achieving this. We are committed to working towards a sustainable future for immediate, open research.

Arthritis UK policy

Wherever possible we expect our researchers to choose a journal to publish in that ensures the work is available immediately on publication. We are keen to support the most effective means to ensure your article is open to everyone. We have a limited budget to pay reasonable costs, but we ask that you consider all options.

To comply with Arthritis UK policy, authors should choose one of the two following options:

• Self-archiving your publication in Europe PubMed Central (Europe PMC) within six months of publication (a charge-free option, commonly referred to as ‘green route’ publishing); or
• Publishing in an open access journal, which usually requires the payment of an article processing charge (APC) (this is commonly referred to as ‘gold route’ publishing).
• Where APCs are paid by Arthritis UK, authors and publishers must licence papers using the creative commons attribution licence CC-BY. This is so they may be freely copied and re-used (e.g. for text and data mining purposes), providing such uses are fully attributed.
• Any articles accepted for publication that are wholly or partially funded by Arthritis UK must be deposited in Europe PMC as soon as possible and no later than six months after publication.
• Whilst there is no time limit on requests for open access support beyond the end date of an award, applications will be assessed for relevance to the award.

What type of publications does the policy apply to?

• Funding is available for original research papers only.
• Arthritis UK does not cover additional page charges or colour plate charges.
• Our open access policy does not extend to editorials, letters, commissioned reviews, non-commissioned reviews, scholarly monographs, conference proceedings or book chapters.

When applying to us for support

Authors requiring support to publish articles resulting from work funded by Arthritis UK should apply directly to us via completion and submission of the following form: Open Access form. The form details all required information and additional documentation to be provided. Applicants should also complete the following expenses claim form and submit via email to awards@arthritis-uk.org.

Invoices should be addressed to Arthritis UK and forwarded to awards@arthritis-uk.org with your name and ‘Open Access Invoice’ in the subject line.

In order to comply with Arthritis UK policy, please ensure to comply with the below points:

• The lead applicant or staff member on the award must be the author.
• The paper must acknowledge Arthritis UK as funder and cite the Arthritis UK grant number.
• The proposed publisher must support open access.
• You must have approached your institution and any other applicable funders for open access funding support prior to making your application to us.
• For publications arising from co-funded awards, our expectation is that the other funder(s) contribute equitably to support APC costs, where possible.
• Required documents:
  • Evidence of publication acceptance
  • Final copy of the article
  • Copy of invoice (addressed to the charity).

Further information

Guidance to support researchers in complying with this policy can be found in our step-by-step guide to making your paper open access (PDF, 203 KB).

We are keen to promote your work to our wide range of audiences to show the difference research is making. Please always let us know about your publications, irrespective of whether funding to publish is needed.