Open Access policies and Creative Commons Licences adopted in scientific journals of Brazilian Federal Universities

Abstract

Open access policies and Creative Commons licenses have become indispensable to guarantee the free and ethical availability of scientific research results, increasing the visibility and sharing of knowledge produced in Brazilian federal universities. This study sought to identify the access policies and Creative Commons licenses adopted by scientific journals at Brazilian federal universities, analyzing data from the Directory of Editorial Policies of Brazilian Scientific Journals (DIADORIM). A mixed qualitative and quantitative approach was used to analyze 1,076 journals from 69 Brazilian federal universities. Data were collected, organized and quantified from DIADORIM and supported by a bibliographic review. The analysis revealed that 96.18% of journals adopt an immediate open access policy, 3.06% open access after the embargo period, 0.37% hybrid access, and 0.37% restricted access. Regarding Creative Commons licenses, 57.52% of periodicals use the CC BY-NC license, 19.12% CC BY, 10.33% CC BY-NC-ND, 8.30% CC BY-NC-SA, 3.99% CC BY-ND, and 0.74% CC BY-SA. The results reflect the commitment of Brazilian federal universities to the open and ethical dissemination of scientific knowledge, highlighting the predominance of immediate open access and the CC BY-NC license. These practices significantly contribute to the democratization of access to information and scientific advancement.