CHORUS serves as an information bridge, supporting agency search portals and leveraging publishers’ existing infrastructure to facilitate a simple compliance process, optimized search and dashboard services, and multi-party archiving and preservation capabilities.

HowItWorks-InfographicClick to Enlarge

To initiate CHORUS’ services, authors simply have to identify their funding sources when submitting a paper for publication with a participating publisher. That action tags the article with the Crossref Open Funder Registry service, triggering free open access of the best available version (either the final, published version or the author’s accepted manuscript), either immediately on publication or after a designated embargo period.

The data that results from the tagging and subsequent open access is collected by Crossref and provided by CHORUS to all at no cost through an open Application Programming Interface (API); this can be used by anyone to create new and customize available search and analytic tools. Applications to optimize search and enable funders to track and ensure compliance and analyze funding impact have already been developed by CHORUS and are available to participating agencies. CHORUS also partners with CLOCKSS and Portico to ensure the archiving and preservation of research papers.

CHORUS’ streamlined and cost-effective approach delivers value to funders, publishers, researchers, institutions, and the public at each point in the process of enabling open access:

  • IDENTIFICATION: Simply naming the funding source during the article submission process adds metadata from the Crossref Open Funder Registry, which triggers open access to the article and minimizes the time researchers have to spend on administrative tasks.
  • DISCOVERY:  Users can quickly find the latest research articles via agency portals and common search engines, as well as through CHORUS’ optimized search application. CHORUS’ open programming and interface invites innovators to develop new tools and functionality that further support open access and facilitates text and data mining on articles reporting on funded research.
  • ACCESS: CHORUS points users to the best available version of articles — either immediately on publication or after an embargo period — on the publication sites, where they can find essential context, tools, and information.
  • COMPLIANCE: Compliance is easy using simple tagging built into the article submission process, while a CHORUS Dashboard application facilitates monitoring and reporting by funders and publishers without adding unnecessary costs and administrative overhead.
  • PRESERVATION: CHORUS ensures the integrity and sustainability of the scholarly record through partnerships with CLOCKSS, Portico, and other services that archive and preserve research articles in perpetuity.