In 2025 Deakin University’s Academic Board approved Deakin Library’s Open Research Position Statement.

Deakin University Vice-Chancellor Iain Martin praised the statement, saying, ‘By embracing Open Research, we reaffirm our commitment to being Australia’s most progressive university, and our commitment to innovation, collaboration, and the transformative power of Deakin’s research to solve real world problems.’

Deakin’s foundational principles of open research

1. Research is global public good, and barriers to the dissemination of research should be removed wherever possible.
2. Open research practices are aligned with Deakin’s values and strategic ambition of driving positive societal impact.
3. Open research practices foster trust, transparency and integrity in research.
4. Urgent reform is needed to create a more sustainable, affordable and scholar-led research eco-system.

‘The Academic Board's decisive endorsement of Deakin University's Open Research Position Statement underscores our unwavering belief that research is a public good – and must therefore remain firmly in public hands,’ University Librarian, Hero Macdonald, remarked. ‘Open Research is a fundamental enabler for Deakin 2030 – expanding the reach, influence and potential impact of Deakin's research.’

Deakin’s commitments

1. Deakin actively supports and contributes to global open research initiatives that seek to reform and transform the scholarly publishing system.
2. Deakin researchers will publish as openly as possible, adhere to FAIR and CARE principles, and consider the ethics of publishers with which they work.
3. Deakin supports multiple pathways to open dissemination of research.
4. Deakin supports CAUL’s efforts to negotiate open access agreements and encourages researchers to make full use of these agreements. Deakin does not support the payment of Article Processing Charges (APCs) to make a single article open in an otherwise subscription journal.
5. Deakin is prepared to cancel publisher agreements where they do not align with Deakin’s commitment to sustainable and affordable open research.
6. Deakin is committed to optimising policies, services, and systems to accelerate open research practices, including reward and recognition and research quality evaluation.

‘This is a fantastic initiative from Deakin University to adopt this progressive position. This university-wide statement clearly states where we are hoping to be in terms of the open sharing of our wonderful research with the world. The university will now focus on implementation, policy and infrastructure to ensure we are a leading institution in open scholarship.’ – Danny Kingsley, Director Library Services (Information), Deakin University Library

Read the full Deakin University Open Research Position Statement (PDF)