Open Access to research ensures the freedom to digitally access, read, download, copy, distribute, print, search and link to, or use for any other lawful purpose, research materials without financial, legal or technical barriers. The only restrictions to these rights should be to give authors and creators control over the integrity of their work and the right to be properly acknowledged and cited.

The Royal College of Art (RCA) acknowledges that scholarly research produced within the College is a public good and that the fruits of research activity should be publicly available free of charge or other restriction wherever possible. Access to research is potentially beneficial to all elements of society including the public, industry and commerce, the global research community and the academic institutions in which they practice. Furthermore, the College understands that art and design research and practice is not always carried out within institutions with budgets to cover the costs of access to research locked behind paywalls. As a result, the RCA recognises the benefits that Open Access initiatives can offer to the wider artistic and design community, particularly those that practice outside of large publicly and privately funded institutions.

This statement sets out the position of the Royal College of Art in relation to Open Access and provides guidance for researchers within the institution.