Open access policies and mandates and their practical implementation in Spanish public universities

This paper analyses the open access (OA) output of Spanish public universities from 2011 to 2020. A bibliometric analysis was carried out using Clarivate Analytics' Web of Science Core Collection, and a set of bibliometric analyses was performed to provide an evidence-based response to the research questions (What are the most significant initiatives for promoting open access at higher education institutions at both the national level and the institutional level? What open access contribution are Spanish public universities making? What types of open access are used the most? How does OA affect the impact of scientific production? What type of open access increases impact? Is there a relationship between funded research and open access publications of results?). The bibliometric analyses looked at four dimensions: activity indicators, OA types, impact indicators and funding. The paper concludes that the institutional measures and actions fostering OA identified in universities' policies and mandates bear a correspondence with the bibliometric data. Spanish public universities have higher rates of OA publications, with a clear preference for Green Published and DOAJ Gold publications. OA publications are systematically more cited than non-OA publications (with Green Accepted in the lead), and there is a strong relationship among visibility, funding and open access.