Open Publishing Support Fund
Open Access Increases the Impact of UT Research
Co-sponsored by UT Office of Research and Engagement and the University Libraries
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Office of Research and Engagement and the University Libraries allocated $30,000 for FY 2013 to support publishing in peer-reviewed open access journals. Note: Funds for FY2013 have been allocated. Eligible authors may request reimbursement beginning in July 2014.
Application Form
Program Description
Rationale
Faculty members traditionally give away their copyrighted work to publishers and the university often buys back the content at premium prices. Since open access journals do not charge subscription or other access fees, they must cover their operating expenses in other ways, including in-kind support, or author processing charges. The Open Publishing Support Fund improves access to UTK research and:
- enables authors to retain their copyrights
- accelerates the online availability of peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly journal articles generated by UTK researchers
- raises campus awareness about the benefits of open access
Scope
Eligible charges are:
- Article processing fees levied by peer-reviewed open access publishers such as the Public Library of Science and BioMedCentral.
- Any peer-reviewed open access publication will be considered, provided that the journal is freely available at the time of initial publication with no embargo periods. Hybrid journals that make only selected articles open access are not included in the pilot project.
A list of publishers who provide open access contains links to information about fees and discounts.
Any UTK faculty member, post-doctoral associate, or currently enrolled graduate student may request funding after the article is accepted for publication. Funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to a maximum of $3,000 per article.
- Authors should request a waiver or reduction of charges from the publisher before applying for Open Access Publishing Support.
- Requests for funding may be made immediately upon acceptance of the paper for publication.
- Authors with more than one article may apply for funds more than once but should submit separate applications.
- Authors with sufficient funding from grants or contracts are encouraged not to request these limited funds to allow others to share in the benefit of open publications.
Comment on Publishing Choices
Choosing where to publish is an individual decision and should be based on a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages it may present to the author’s career development. Open access and non-open access journals have a wide range of impact, which can be measured in a variety of ways. Many discussions in articles and blogs compare the merits of open access and traditional publishing. Examples include:
- Jocayln Clark, “Open Access Anxiety in the Publish or Perish World,” PloS Blog, September 3, 2008 (http://www.plos.org/cms/node/397) accessed October 3, 2008.
- Peter Suber, “Thinking About Prestige, Quality, and Open Access,” SPARC Open Access Newsletter, September 2, 2008
Before making a personal decision about where to publish, consult a department head, mentor, and/or other senior colleagues.
Application Form
What is Open Access?
Open-access (OA) literature is digital, online, and freely available to users... more
