The University of Dundee has been ranked first in the UK and third globally for the proportion of research outputs made open access, according to the 2025 CWTS Leiden Rankings (Traditional Edition).

This remarkable result reflects our University’s long-standing commitment to making knowledge accessible to all and the sustained efforts of our Library’s Open Research & Publishing team, who work closely with researchers across disciplines to promote and support open practices.

Why the Leiden Rankings Matter

The CWTS Leiden Rankings are widely respected for their rigorous, data-driven insight into research performance. Unlike many global rankings, they focus not on volume, but on proportion, recognising institutions that embed openness in their research culture rather than those producing the largest output.

This makes Dundee’s achievement particularly meaningful. Between 2020 and 2023, 91.6% of the 4,058 publications from the University were freely accessible to anyone, anywhere,  the highest proportion in the UK and one of the highest in the world.

Championing a Culture of Openness

“As you can imagine, the Library Open Research & Publishing team are delighted by this recognition. Their role is at the heart of Dundee’s open research culture, supporting colleagues to record, license, and share their work openly through the Discovery Portal, and ensuring that our institutional processes make open access the default, not the exception.” Hannah Whaley, Library, Academic and Cultural Services Director.

It is also significant that the University of Dundee ranks first in the UK for Social Sciences and Humanities, areas that have historically faced greater challenges in achieving open access. This reflects targeted support and advocacy to help researchers across all disciplines engage with open routes to publication.

Supporting Researchers in a Changing Landscape

The Library continually review the support they provide to ensure that the University of Dundee keeps pace with sector developments. Recent initiatives include:

  • expanding support for research data management planning
  • growing library-led publishing opportunities
  • and helping authors to build and maintain digital profiles that increase visibility and reach.

By maintaining a broad and inclusive approach to diverse output types, the team also ensures that researchers who publish through non-traditional routes (such as exhibitions, performances, or policy outputs) are supported to share their work openly.

A Shared Achievement

This success is not the result of one initiative but of a collective effort by a community of researchers, professional staff, and network of Open Research Leads all committed to the principles of transparency, collaboration, and accessibility.

Our leading global position is something we can all be proud of. It recognises both the expertise of the Library’s Open Research & Publishing team and the University-wide belief that knowledge should be open, visible, and shared for the benefit of all.

Open Research & Publishing
Library, Academic and Cultural Services