The Kent State University Open Access Publishing Fund will support article processing charges (APCs) for open access journals when funds are not otherwise available. The fund is supported by the University Research Council, the Division of Research and Economic Development, and University Libraries. The management and administration of the fund is through University Libraries.

Authors are required to use all eligible grant funding before requesting support through the KSU Open Access Publishing Fund. We would also like to encourage authors to take advantage of transformative deals provided through University Libraries when appropriate. Please visit our Open Access Publishing Guide to learn more about transformative deals, journal publishing models, and predatory publications.

Please review the requirements then complete the form below to apply for funding. If you have questions or comments, contact skenne20 [at] kent.edu (subject: Open%20Access%20APC%20Support%20Initiative) (Sean Kennedy), Collections Strategies Librarian.

Requirements

Eligible Authors: The open access fund is available to any current KSU employee or enrolled student who is the lead or corresponding author of a scholarly peer-reviewed article. All benefits and caps for this fund are tracked and determined based on lead or corresponding author.

Eligible Publications: Articles that have been accepted to open access journals that meet the following criteria:

• are scholarly and peer-reviewed
• are listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals
• have policies and practices consistent with the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association Code of Conduct
• make their standard fee schedules publicly accessible
• waive their APCs in cases of the authors’ financial hardship

Ineligible Publications: Articles in journals that charge an annual subscription fee, including journals that use a delayed open access model, or offer an “open choice” option to make a particular article open access. This includes so-called “hybrid journals”.

Cost Match: The open access fund is intended to supplement or match support from academic departments for the cost of open access publishing. Therefore, the fund will cover APCs per article at the lesser of $1,500 or 50% of the total cost. Matching or remaining costs must be provided by the author’s department, reporting unit, or other sources.

Article Funding Cap: Funding allowance for a single article is capped at $1,500. This allowance is strictly used to cover article processing charges (APCs).

Author Funding Cap: An author may receive funding for up to two articles ($1,500 cap each) per fiscal year. Authors cannot combine funds or rollover funds between articles within the fiscal year. Funds cannot be saved, rolled over, etc., between years.

Additional Requirements:

• Articles receiving support from the fund are required to be uploaded to Open Access Kent State (OAKS).
• We ask that funded articles include the following acknowledgement:
  • “This publication was made possible in part by support from the Kent State University Open Access Publishing Fund.”

Note: Authors may be required to contact the publisher to help resolve invoice issues such as splitting invoices between the grant and funding department. We will work with authors to ensure payments are completed promptly. In cases where the publisher is new to the KSU PaymentWorks system and invoices will be paid via check, there may be a delay in payment up to 6 weeks long. We are committed to working with you through the entire funding process to create a quick and smooth transaction.