Virginia Tech University Libraries has announced updates to its Open Access Subvention Fund (OASF) guidelines, aimed at further promoting open access initiatives among faculty, staff, and students. The OASF, designed to support article processing charges (APCs) for scholarly peer-reviewed articles accepted for publication in open access (OA) journals, now includes a cost-sharing option with departments.
The key update allows the OASF to collaborate with departments, broadening the avenues for supporting open-access publishing. The funding limit remains at $1500 per article, with authors now having the potential to receive up to $3,000 per year. This cost-sharing flexibility aligns with Virginia Tech's commitment to fostering open access to research outputs.
To be eligible for OASF support, the OA journal's publisher must be a member of the Committee on Publishing Ethics (COPE) or the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) or comply with a similar Code of Conduct. Additionally, OA journals should be registered in an open access directory, such as the Directory of Open Access Journals or Sherpa/Romeo.
The Open Access Subvention Fund (OASF) guidelines outline key eligibility criteria, including access for all Virginia Tech faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students. Articles based on grant-supported research are ineligible for OASF support. Hybrid journals, which offer an OA option but are excluded to prevent double charges, given their generally higher fees compared to fully OA journals. Authors must submit invoices for funded articles to the Libraries' head of acquisitions within 45 days of the award notification, with non-compliance leading to fund return and the need for authors to reapply. Additionally, authors are reminded of Virginia Tech's Open Access Policy, facilitating embargo-free access to accepted scholarly articles through VTechWorks.
Authors are encouraged to explore fee discounts offered by some journals, detailed on the OASF libguide's discounts page. Additionally, questions about the fund can be directed to oasf-g@vt.edu.
Virginia Tech's OASF aligns with the university's commitment to advancing open access to scholarly research and reflects the institution's dedication to supporting and disseminating valuable contributions from its academic community.
For more information and detailed guidelines, please visit the Open Access Subvention Fund libguide.
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