Xiao C1, McWhirter S1, Chan H1, Haidar S1
1University Of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Biography:
Chun Xiao is a Research Data Insights Analyst in the Research Knowledge and Insights Team within the Research Office at the University of Technology Sydney. Her work focuses on research analytics, dashboard development, data governance and evidence-based reporting to support strategic decision-making across the university. Chun works with internal and external research data sources to develop analytical methods, data pipelines and interactive reporting tools that translate complex research information into practical insights for researchers, professional staff and senior stakeholders.
Abstract:
The Australian Research Council (ARC) Open Access Policy Version 2026.1, effective 1 July 2026, strengthens requirements for publicly funded research by mandating immediate open access for journal articles and conference papers, and open access within 12 months for books and reports. It also introduces stricter expectations around metadata, including timely repository deposit and mandatory use of identifiers such as DOIs, ORCIDs and institutional affiliation RORs.
UTS Research Office, in partnership with UTS Library, which is leading university-wide communication and engagement to ensure researchers and professional staff understand the 2026 requirements and practical implications, initiated an open access tracking dashboard as a component of internal KPI tracking practices. We will implement adjustments aligned to the policy updates to support compliance tracking. The dashboard comprises four layers: (1) overall and immediate open access compliance rates; (2) operational workflow tracking, including repository deposit, metadata timeliness and licensing completeness; (3) drill-down views by faculty, grant and publisher; and (4) an exception register for non-compliant or at-risk outputs. Core KPIs will include open access compliance by output type, metadata deposit status, DOI completeness and funding acknowledgement accuracy. In this presentation, we will share our experience and discuss solutions to the technical and practical challenges of developing and implementing this dashboard.
The impact is significant, as institutions assume primary responsibility for compliance, requiring stronger data governance, integrated repository systems and proactive monitoring. This shift transforms open access from a passive requirement into an operational and analytics-driven function, enabling improved research visibility, alignment with national open science policies, and more robust reporting for engagement and impact assessment.
