Open Publishing Support Fund
Increasing the Impact of UTK Research Through Open Access
Co-sponsored by UTK’s Office of Research and the University Libraries
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Office of Research and University Libraries have renewed a fund of $20,000 for FY 2009-2010 to support publishing in open access journals.
Application Form
Program Description
Rationale
Each year a smaller percentage of all scholarly publications is available to researchers because of increasing prices, even though the production of scholarly information is growing exponentially. Faculty members traditionally give away their copyrighted work to publishers and the university often buys back the content at premium prices. 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 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. The pilot phase extends through June 2010 and will be evaluated for continuation.
Any UTK faculty member, post-doctoral associate, or currently enrolled graduate student ready to submit a completed article for publication may request funding to support articles published after July 1, 2008. 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 before an article has been accepted or immediately upon acceptance.
- 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