Who pays for Open Access publishing fees?
I am publishing in an Open Access (OA) journal. Does the LRC have a membership or a means of paying for my article to be published?
Answer
In general, no, the LRC does not pay Open Access (OA) publication fees for USU authors. The library does not currently have memberships that would reduce or waive publication fees. That said, it is possible and encouraged for authors to publish in high-quality Open Access journals.
USU's Office of General Council (OGC) advises:
- Individuals should not create individual accounts with OA publishers (e.g. PLOS or BioMed Central) without running the Terms of Service by OGC. This means that, even if individual Departments are submitting and using a Government Purchase Card (GPC) to cover fees or membership, the submitting faculty member will need to speak with USU Acquisitions to negotiate Terms of Service with the publishers in order to ensure compliance with Federal law.
- There is no legal prohibition with the University (or departments) purchasing memberships to Open Access journals (or publishers) so that faculty may submit articles to that journal (or publisher) at a reduced or zero fee. However, consult with USU Acquisitions before proceeding to ensure USU departments consistently apply appropriated funds.
- Authors should not pay fees from their personal funds if the article was written on official time.