Scholarly Communications Office

Princeton Open Access Publication Fund

The Princeton OA fund aims to help Princeton authors, especially underrepresented groups, underwrite reasonable publication charges when publishing in fee-based Open Access (OA) publications when no other funding sources are available. Funding article charges removes barriers to open access publishing practices and promotes the value of OA to scholarship, research, and creative output. The OA Fund aligns the investment in OA with the core mission and values of the Library and University, as well as the Library’s strategic priorities. 

Princeton OA Fund Guidelines:

How is the OA Fund managed and operated?

The Fund will be available within the  July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 fiscal year, on a first-come, first-served basis until funds are exhausted. CDH will co-fund applications related to humanities-based research when needed. The Scholarly Communications Office (SCO) will manage the fund in terms of promotion, evaluation, distribution, assessment, and usage-tracking. The applications will be reviewed, evaluated, and approved/declined by the OA Fund committee. The committee consists of the Scholarly Communications Librarian and subject librarians who currently serve on the Scholarly Communications Steering Group (SCSG). One person designated by CDH will be added to the committee for applications that is related to humanities-based research and need the co-sponsorship. 

As soon as an author has a manuscript accepted and has the information about publication charges, she or he should apply for the fund by filling out the application form. The application will be reviewed within a week. If the application is approved, the author will be notified and asked to send the invoice to the Scholarly Communications Office. Payment will be made directly to the journal/publisher on the author's behalf. 

We recommend that the author checks with Schoalrly Communciations Office at SCO@princeton.edu first for the fund availability.  

Who is eligible to receive funding?

Princeton faculty members, postdoctoral fellows, researchers, graduate students, undergraduate students, and staff who have no other funding sources such as research grants, departmental funding, or funding from third parties are eligible. Applicants are encouraged to consult with the committee at SCO@princeton.edu prior to submitting an application to determine fund availability and eligibility. Due to the limited funding, more consideration will be given to underrepresented groups, such as graduate students and groups from the social sciences and humanities.

What does the OA Fund cover?

The OA Fund is intended solely for covering Open Access publishing fees charged by the publisher, also known as Article Processing Charges (APCs). Please note that the fund does not cover page charges or other publication-related fees. 

What publications are eligible?

Works submitted to reputable, established, and scholarly open access journals; open access book chapters in a fully open access book; and open access books are eligible. Articles in hybrid open access journals* or delayed open access journals are ineligible. 

Criteria for eligible open access journals:

  • Peer reviewed
  • Listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Publisher is a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association or demonstrates the best practice and ethical standards to preserve the integrity of scholarship 
  • Article Processing Charge (APC) schedules are publicly accessible
  • Publisher offers a waiver in case of financial hardship

Criteria for eligible open access books/book chapters:

  • Peer reviewed
  • Listed in Directory of Open Access Books
  • Publisher is a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association or demonstrates the best practice and ethical standards to preserve the integrity of scholarship

*Exceptions for funding of articles in hybrid journals: PUL acknowledges the effort that the publisher of a hybrid journal has made to avoid "double-dipping" or change the business model from subscription to open access. When a publicly available policy or information that clearly describes the effort to avoid "double-dipping" or the transition strategy to open access is made available, the hybrid journal will be considered eligible. The University Library determines when a hybrid journal policy is sufficiently persuasive to qualify for APC funding. 

What amount of support is available?

In order to make funding available to the greatest number of applicants, an individual author may be supported up to a maximum of $3,000 per year. Only the corresponding author or first author is eligible to receive funding up to the cap. Co-authors can receive the funding proportionally, depending on the number of co-authors.