OCTOPUS is a new service from JISC which allows authors to publish work on a completely open access basis, without any fees and you get a freshly minted DOI too!!
It was created by Dr Alexandra Freeman, and describes itself as being "designed to be the primary research record, and to create an incentive structure which maintains the highest standards of research and research culture.
It sits alongside journals and other dissemination outlets, allowing those to specialise in delivering key findings to their audiences whilst Octopus acts like a 'patent office' to record who has done what and when, and ensure the quality, integrity and accessibility of all primary research, in full.”
If you publish in Octopus, you can still publish in a journal at a later date. Use Octopus to establish your priority for everyone to see, and to document the full details of your work.
Watch this short video to find more information.
Octopus have released a new Octopus Author Guide which provides useful information.
Every Octopus account is linked to a valid ORCID. You can login using your ORCID credentials, (ORCID is a unique, persistent digital identifier developed exclusively for researchers) and you must log-in to an Octopus account in order to share your own work, or to interact with the work of others.
There are 8 different kinds of publication on Octopus which are associated with the stages of scientific research. You should choose the one which matches where you are in your research.
To find out more about Octopus take a look at their website and their guide for authors.