New ASU fund helps researchers publish in open access journals

In response to an increasing focus on open access publishing by research funders, the ASU Open Access Publication Fund has been created to help cover publishing costs for ASU affiliates.

The new open access fund is supported by the Office of the University Provost and Knowledge Enterprise, with the University Senate’s Research and Creative Activities committee serving in an advisory role.

"It’s immensely gratifying to see the years of effort that the ASU Senate’s Research and Creative Activities Committee and the ASU Library put into developing the Open Access Publication Fund come to fruition,” said Michael Todd, research professor and chair of the Research and Creative Activities Committee. “By putting resources behind this pilot program, the Provost’s Office, Knowledge Enterprise and the ASU Library are not only responding to changes in the norms and policies around transparency in research and scholarship, but also providing critical support for my fellow ASU investigators and creators, especially those working in disciplines where grant funding is rare. I’m hopeful that the program is a bellwether for sustained and expanded material support for open access publication and open science at ASU."

During the three-year pilot program administered by the ASU Library, $30,000 per fiscal year will be available to ASU-affiliated authors publishing in open access journals. The maximum reimbursement available to an applicant is $1,500.

Anali Maughan Perry, head of the Open Science and Scholarly Communication Division at the ASU Library, has been a strong champion of open access at the library and ASU. 

“ASU Library has a long history of working with ASU researchers to make their work openly available through partnerships with publishers and the institutional repository KEEP," Perry said. “This fund has been in the works for more than four years, with the Research and Creative Activities Committee in the University Senate submitting a final proposal in 2021. We’re pleased to now have the support of the university provost and Knowledge Enterprise leadership to jointly fund this proposal.” 

Under an open access publication model, articles are made freely available to readers. This makes it easier to share research findings and scholarship to a broad audience. Journal subscription costs and article fees are expensive, limiting access to only those who can pay. Open access removes these barriers to welcome all readers and encourages broader sharing, use and re-purposing of knowledge.

While the majority of open access journals publish articles for free, many of the most well-known open access publishers require that authors pay an article processing charge to offset the cost of publication.

“This fund particularly benefits early career researchers who may not have research funds available yet,” Perry said. “By publishing their work in open access journals, they can reach a broader audience and increase the impact of their research on the communities they serve. While this fund is limited for now, we will use this opportunity to demonstrate demand and continue to advocate for greater support for open access and open science practice at ASU. We’re excited to take each new step forward, and look forward to working with ASU authors to make their work as open as possible.”

For complete details regarding eligibility criteria and how to apply for reimbursement, visit the ASU Library’s Researcher Support website.