Policies & Guidelines

Freie Universität Berlin supports Open Access (OA) as an integral part of good scientific practice. Of particular relevance to day-to-day research are the Open Access Policy (2021) and the Affiliation Guidelines (2025). The latter govern the consistent citation of Freie Universität Berlin when publishing research results.

As part of the expansion of the scope from Open Access to Open Science, the Research Data Policy was introduced in 2021 to promote the sustainable provision and reusability of research data.

Affiliation Policy

Correctly stating your affiliation in accordance with the Affiliation Policy of Freie Universität Berlin is crucial for:

ensuring your publication can be found in databases,

citations and documentation of your research output,

correct attribution to your institution and research funding.

Guidelines

Required information: All members (§43 BerlHG) must include their official or institutional address at Freie Universität Berlin in their publications

University name: Always “Freie Universität Berlin” (do not translate, do not abbreviate)

No private addresses, no email addresses alone

Structure: University name → School/Central Unit → Institute → Research group (if applicable) → Full mailing address

Examples of correct information

German:

Freie Universität Berlin, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Thielallee 63, 14195 Berlin

German with department:

Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Earth Sciences, Institute of Geological Sciences, Division of Geophysics, Malteserstraße 74–100, 12249 Berlin

English (only organizational units translated):

Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Institute of Mathematics, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin

Central Facilities:

Freie Universität Berlin, Botanical Garden and Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem, Königin-Luise-Straße 6–8, 14195 Berlin

Multiple Affiliations

Collaborations / Research Networks:

FU Berlin remains the primary affiliation. The network may be added as a secondary affiliation.

Example:

Last Name, First Name^1,2

1 Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Knowledge, Institute of Science, Thielallee 63, 14195 Berlin

2 [Affiliation details according to the research network’s specifications]

S-Professors (seconded to non-university institutions):

The primary affiliation is Freie Universität Berlin (+ department). The secondary affiliation is the non-university institution.

Example:

Last Name, First Name^1,2

1 Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Physics, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin

2 Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, 14109 Berlin, Germany

Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin:

The separate guidelines of Charité apply. Combination according to the following pattern:

Last name, First name ^1,2

1 Freie Universität Berlin, Department of Knowledge, Institute of Science, Thielallee 63, 14195 Berlin

2 [Charité affiliation according to Charité guidelines]

Contact: open-access@fu-berlin.de

Open Access Policy

Freie Universität Berlin is committed to free access to scientific information and actively promotes open access through its Open Access Policy. The goal is to make research results visible, reusable, and sustainably available worldwide, in accordance with good scientific practice, the FAIR principles, and the open science goals of the Berlin University Alliance.

Key Elements of the Policy

Recommendation for first publication in Open Access – whenever possible under an open license (preferably CC BY 4.0).
Utilize second publication – publications should also be made available in the institutional repository Refubium.
Securing rights – in publishing contracts, transfer only limited usage rights where possible, or reserve the right to parallel publication in Refubium.
Support from the University Library – consulting, informational materials, and funding opportunities (e.g., publication funds for articles in open access journals, publication funds for open access monographs and collection volumes).
Infrastructure for OA publications – Provision of Open Journal Systems (OJS) and Open Monograph Press (OMP) for FU journals and books.
Encouraging engagement – Participation in editorial, publishing, and peer review roles at recognized OA publications is expressly supported.
FU’s own publications are released under an open license whenever possible.
Research data – FU supports open access, as governed by the Research Data Policy.
ORCiD – University members are strongly encouraged to use an ORCiD.