The Green Road to Open Access: Policy, Incentives, Actions

Abstract

The Library of the University of Macedonia, through the institutional repository of academic research RuomoPlus, has adopted and actively implements the University’s Open Access (OA) policy, primarily supporting the Green Open Access route. Within this strategic framework, researchers are actively encouraged to deposit the full text of their research publications in the Institutional Repository, ensuring the preservation, dissemination, and long-term accessibility of the University's scientific output. Since 2008, the University of Macedonia has established a procedure for awarding Research Awards to articles published by university researchers in high-impact academic journals. The regulation governing these awards was amended five years ago, introducing a new requirement: for a publication to be eligible for evaluation and award, all of the candidate researcher's publications 31o Πανελλήνιο Συνέδριο Ακαδημαϊκών Βιβλιοθηκών – 22-24/10/2025 Ιωάννινα Το κείμενο της ανακοίνωσης (conference paper) είναι διαθέσιμο στο: https://olympias.lib.uoi.gr/jspui/handle/123456789/39368 for the relevant year must be deposited in the Institutional Repository. This policy has turned the Research Awards scheme into a strong incentive for academic staff and researchers to systematically engage in self-archiving. As a result of this initiative, more than 60% of the University’s publications from the past five years indexed in the Scopus database are now openly accessible through the Repository, significantly enhancing the global visibility and impact of the University's research output. At the same time, the University of Macedonia Library plays an active and multifaceted role in promoting OA. It has developed an online information portal, which serves as a hub for support and training for researchers, librarians, and other members of the academic community. The portal offers guidance, tools, and updates on topics such as copyright, repositories, and open science policies. This comprehensive approach clearly highlights the role of academic libraries not only as centers for information management but also as key agents in the transition toward a more open, participatory, and equitable scholarly communication ecosystem.