| Open Access Fund Requirements |
In an initiative to support publication in open access journals, a fund has been allocated by the Office of the Vice President for Research. This fund is to be used to help authors defray the cost of open access publication fees. Summary details can be found below, but please also consult the Links to OA Resources section, found on the right side of this page.
UPDATE: Awards will be granted on a first-come, first served basis and will be limited to up to $1,000 per publication, per faculty member, per academic year. Faculty members may apply for an unlimited number of awards, but may only receive up to $1,000 per year.
UPDATE: Applications for funds should be submitted only after the article has been accepted for publication.
The person requesting open access funds must be (a) the lead/senior author (the person most responsible for the work), and (b) a current Texas Tech faculty member, full-time instructor, or research professor. Students are not eligible to apply. A substantial part of the research presented in the article must have been conducted while the lead author was a faculty member at Texas Tech University. Co-authors can be affiliated with other institutions.
To be eligible for Open Access funds, your journal article must be published by:
A member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association
OR
A member of the Committee on Publication Ethics
OR
A publisher listed on the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
Your manuscript must NOT:
Include any mandatory embargoes or other restrictions that limit or delay access
OR
Be considered a predatory journal. Several ways to identify predatory journals are at the following websites
Spotting a Predatory Journal
Everything You wanted to Know about Predatory Journals
| Open Access Fund FAQs |
Where can I apply for the award?
Apply for the award on Competition Space
What do I do if the fund is not available or my department will not supplement additional costs?
Luckily, there is more than one way to publish open access.
1) If you can not pay the fee, your desired journal may allow the reviewed version to be deposited in a repository.
2) You might consider another journal that publishes open access without asking for a fee. To find more open access journals visit the Directory of Open Access Journals or contact a librarian.
The criteria states the journal must be reputable. How do I know if the journal I want to publish in is high quality?
Contact your Personal Librarian for help assessing journals. You can also visit the guide for Assessing Journals or check the Library Workshop Schedule. While blacklists or whitelists are a quick start, there are signs to look out for that can help you publish in high quality journals.
If I am awarded the funds, does that mean I retain my copyright?
Paying the Article Processing Charge (APC) should mean your publishing contract has wording about retaining your copyright. This way you can share with colleagues, put it on your website, teach with the material and deposit to ThinkTech without copyright restrictions. Please visit the guide on Author’s Rights or contact the Digital Services Librarian if you have questions or concerns.
How do I know if my journal will allow open access publishing?
You can use a tool called SherpaROMEO to look up the journal policy or contact the Scholarly Publishing Librarian for review of your journal’s policy options.
Who approves the award? Who do I contact to pay funds to the publisher after they are awarded?
The Office of the Vice President of Research approves awards. Please contact them to pay the publisher. Contact information can be found in the award notification email.
How do I know which version of the manuscript to submit to ThinkTech?
If you pay the APC, you should be able to submit the publisher PDF. Please double check the publisher policy on this or contact the Digital Services Librarian.
Why should I submit to ThinkTech if it the work is openly published?
Although the work is published openly, it is good to preserve digital items by making copies in secured locations. Unlike a portfolio website, Media Site or ResearchGate, the institutional repository (ThinkTech) archives items for the long-term. Even digital items can become lost and occasionally journals can fold. Depositing in ThinkTech also demonstrates your legacy at Tech and helps increase the impact of your work.