Open Access Publishing Partnerships

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

As part of Purdue University Libraries scholarly communication strategic goal, we “advocate the change in scholarly communication to promote economic sustainability, effective use of copyright, and open access to knowledge for all.” To this end, Purdue University Libraries has established the Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund. This project seeks to support Purdue University research and engagement by directly supporting open access publishing, much of which is already happening at Purdue. By supporting Open Access scholarly outputs, this fund functions to both support research activities at Purdue University, as well as to increase discovery and visibility of Purdue University research outputs.

Author Eligibility:

Any current Purdue University-West Lafayette faculty member, researcher, post-doc, staff, or graduate student who do not have available funds that can be used for article processing charges.

• Funding is limited to corresponding authors currently affiliated with Purdue University, West Lafayette campus.
• Corresponding authors are limited to one funding disbursement per fiscal year.
• First-time applicants will get preference for funding.
• Applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are submitted. Selection and funding rests under the purview of the Administrators of the Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund. Funds are paid directly to the publisher after the article is accepted, provided a publication date, and the author has provided an invoice to Fund Administrators.
• Applications will be accepted as long as funding is available. When funds are exhausted, the fund will be closed until next academic year.
• Articles co-authored with authors from other institutions will only be supported if the Purdue author is the primary, lead or corresponding author.
• As a condition of the Open Access Publishing Fund, authors must agree to submit a post-review copy of the article to Purdue e-Pubs with open access permissions. Authors are encouraged to submit to open access disciplinary-based repositories as well.
• Authors are strongly encouraged to include the following statement in the author’s acknowledgements and in the Purdue e-Pubs description field: “Publication of this article was funded in part by Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund.”

Content Eligibility:

• Only scholarly peer-reviewed journal articles will be considered for funding.

Journal Eligibility:

• Eligible publications must provide free, immediate, online access to the full text of the research article upon publication without restrictions.
• Eligible journals may include those listed in reputable indices, such as the Directory of Open Access Journals; or, publishers that are generally compliant with publishing best practice and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association’s Code of Conduct.
• Journals must be peer-reviewed.
• Journals must make their standard fee schedules publicly accessible.
• Journals must be fully Open Access. “Hybrid” open-access publishing, in which a subscription-based journal makes some articles available after an author pays fees, are not eligible. See FAQs below for more information on hybrid open access.
• Any journal or publisher whose legitimacy is in doubt may require greater scrutiny by authors and Purdue University Libraries.
• Ultimately, the eligibility of the journal is the purview of the administrators of the Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

Who can apply?

Any current Purdue University-West Lafayette faculty member, researcher, post-doc, staff, or graduate student who do not have available funds that can be used for article processing charges.

What if the article processing charge is more than $3,000?

If the APC of the journal is higher than $3,000, you have two options. The first option is to agree to ask the publisher to split the invoice. When you ask the publisher to split the invoice, ask for an invoice for $3,000 and another invoice for the remaining balance. This option is preferred. The Fund will pay the invoice for $3,000; and, you will pay the other invoice.

The second option allows the Fund Administrators to work with your department to use departmental funds to pay the overages. To take advantage of this option, you will need to supply the departmental account number and contact information for your department when you apply for funding.

Must all my co-authors be affiliated with Purdue?

No. However, the corresponding author must be currently affiliated with Purdue.

The policy says hybrid open access journals are not eligible. What is hybrid open access?

Hybrid open access is a blended business model in which a journal charges subscription fees to readers, but also allows authors an option to pay an article processing charge to make their one article freely available via open access. In a hybrid open access journal some of the articles are free to read, while others require a subscription or purchase. Typically, any journal that offers "open options" will not qualify for funding.

What are my options for publishing in a hybrid open access journal?

Most hybrid open access journals support green open access--deposits of manuscripts in an institutional repository. Depositing your manuscript in an institutional repository such as Purdue e-Pubs provides an open access version of your paper at no cost to you, your department, or your funding agencies. While the publisher may have myriad fine print, our repository staff are here to help. We will review the publisher sharing policies, create your metadata record, and upload your manuscript--saving you time and stress. For more information, email epubs@purdue.edu.

How do I know if a journal is eligible for this Fund?

Check to see if your journal is indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals. Hybrid and delayed open access journals do not qualify. If your target journal is indexed in DOAJ, it will meet journal eligibility requirements of the fund.

Will the Fund cover additional fees, such as page charges or data deposit fees?

No. The Fund will only cover article processing charges. For additional fees, such as page charges or administrative charges, you must request a split invoice from the publisher.

I recently paid my invoice. Will this Fund reimburse me?

No. Funds are paid directly to the publisher after the author has provided an invoice to the Fund Administrators.

I am a co-author on a paper that was approved for funding. Can I apply for funding for another manuscript this fiscal year?

The Fund policies were updated in August 15, 2023. Previously, any author could only be approved for funding once per fiscal year, whether that author was the primary, corresponding author, or a co-author. The policy was updated to provide increased access by allowing corresponding authors one disbursement per fiscal year.

I still have questions. Who can I ask?

Nina Collins, Scholarly Publishing Librarian, nkcollin@purdue.edu