Library

Open Access Publishing Support

Scholarly open access journals provide robust peer review and ensure that research is widely available. Funding models mean that article publication fees (APCs) can (sometimes) be charged. Beyond open access journals, alternative options exist for making your work openly accessible. These include paying a fee to make a single article open, such as through hybrid journals, or utilizing copyright provisions to deposit a version of the article in an open repository.

MRU Faculty members looking to publish their work open access can do so in a number of ways.

• Avoid the charges - Choose open access journals without APCs via the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), or self-archive in MRU's Open Access Repository by leveraging copyright provisions of subscription journals - more on copyright and depositing here, or try using the Sherpa Romeo tool to find out the copyright and open archiving policies for on a journal-by-journal basis.
• Apply for library funding - Apply for reimbursement of APCs in qualifying open access publications via the Library's Open Access Fund.
• Take advantage of waived fees - MRU-affiliated corresponding or contributing authors are eligible for fee discounts or waivers in many journals - both gold and hybrid open access. Specific instructions and exclusions may apply, see details for each publisher below.
• Budget for publication charges - Include APC fees in grant proposals, as many funders (including CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC) consider these allowable expenses. To estimate these costs, you can visit the websites of appropriate journals/publishers where you hope to publish your research. Your subject librarian can help you with this.

For more information and support with open publishing contact your Subject Librarian.

The Library maintains an Open Access Fund to support scholarly publishing by MRU authors. This initiative aims to support authors to openly disseminate their research, reimbursing eligible open access fees related to publishing their research in OA journals.

To date the Library OA fund has supported more than 60 publications by MRU authors. You can view them all in our repository.

Eligibility

The Fund accepts applications from the primary author (e.g., lead, first-named, or corresponding), who will take responsibility for submitting the grant request and receiving reimbursement. This author must be affiliated with MRU as a:

• Tenured, tenurable, or contract faculty member
• Full-time administrator or staff member
• Undergraduate student

Co-authors do not have to be affiliated with MRU.

In the event that a project has existing research funding, the request must be accompanied by a declaration that the open access APCs have not already been covered by the grant or are ineligible under the grant.

Criteria for the Publication

The Fund will reimburse article open access (OA) processing charges (APCs) for article manuscripts accepted to be published in peer-reviewed journals. The journal must:

• Use a full open access publishing model
• Be listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
• Make their OA fees publicly available on their website
• Make the open access version immediately available upon publication
• Currently, we are primarily supporting reimbursements for journal articles but will consider other formats on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us.

Reimbursement Limits

To help the fund reach a broad audience and to ensure timely processing:

• Reimbursement grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis
  • We will retroactively reimburse fees already paid if they fall within the past calendar year, based on the date of application to the Fund. All other Fund requirements, eligibility criteria, and processes still apply.
• Total reimbursement is normally capped at $3,000 (CDN) per individual per fiscal year
  • There is no limit on the number of applications, the maximum is $3,000 total

To qualify for reimbursement the applicant must submit a paid invoice/receipt. The Library will reimburse accepted applicants in a timely manner using established internal processes.

Mandatory Deposit in the IR

Authors who accept their awarded grant under this fund must deposit a version of their research in the Mount Royal University Institutional Repository. Authors are also encouraged to consider depositing appropriate supporting data in the Mount Royal University Data Repository. In the case of publisher embargo, the manuscript should still be deposited as soon as possible with the appropriate repository embargo provisions in place.

The Library can assist with this process. Contact mrujs@mtroyal.ca for more information.

Applying to the Fund

Please use the electronic application form to apply.

FAQs

• How much is in the Fund?
  • We have set aside $15,000 (CDN) to reimburse authors for the current fiscal year.

• How much am I eligible for as an author?
  • Reimbursement from the Fund is normally capped at $3,000 (CDN) per individual per fiscal year. This could be for one publication, or for multiple publications that add up to $3,000. See the other requirements section for more details on reimbursement limits.
• Are formats other than journal articles eligible?
  • The simple answer is maybe. We recognize and encourage the development of OA research publications in a wide variety of formats beyond the traditional journal article. Currently, we are primarily supporting reimbursements for journal articles; however we are willing to consider alternative formats on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us for further information.
• How do I apply?
  • Please use the electronic application form to apply.
• Who do I contact if I have questions or want some help?
  • We welcome any questions and are happy to assist you with any part of the process. Please use the contact section to find out how to get in touch with us.
• I already paid fees to a journal. Am I eligible to be reimbursed?
  • Yes, we will reimburse fees if they fall within the current fiscal year. All Fund requirements, eligibility criteria, and processes still apply.
• Do other universities offer this kind of fund?
  • Many universities in Canada and around the world also offer an open access fund in support of their local researchers. For examples, please see the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) curated list showing OA funds in action.
• How do I budget for OA fees or article processing charges (APCs) in my grant proposals?
  • We recommend budgeting publication charges as part of your grant proposal since many funding agencies treat open access fees as allowable grant expenses. Some examples include:
    • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
    • Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
    • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
  • To estimate these costs, try reviewing the websites of appropriate journals/publishers where you hope to publish your research. Your subject librarian can help you with this.

Waivers and discounted APCs

Explore the publishers below to discover journals providing waivers or discounts on article processing charges (APCs) for MRU authors seeking to publish open access articles. These arrangements, often negotiated by the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN), are detailed on the CKRN website, including a list of participating institutions. 

American Chemical Society via CKRN

• $250 USD discount on APCs in ACS hybrid journals (limit the search to journal open access type: hybrid) 
• How it works: MRU authors will have the APCs in these journals discounted automatically if they list MRU as their affiliation when submitting their manuscript. Publishing instructions can be found on the ACS website.
• Key requirements: The corresponding author for the article must be from MRU or another institution participating in the deal to be eligible for this discount.

Canadian Science Publishers via CKRN

• Waived APCs in these hybrid journals
• 25% discount on article processing charges (APCs) in the following hybrid journals 
• How it works: MRU authors will have the APCs in these journals waived or discounted automatically if they list MRU as their affiliation when submitting their manuscript.
• Key requirements: The corresponding author for the article at the time of submission must be from MRU or another participating institution to be eligible for waived or discounted APCs. The corresponding author can not be changed after submission. 

Cambridge University Press via CKRN

• Waived APCs in eligible Cambridge hybrid and gold journals. To see the list of eligible titles, visit the CUP website, and select Canada, Mount Royal University to see the details of our agreement.
• How it works: The waiver is automatically applied via author affiliation once the article is accepted. Additional publishing instructions can be found on the CKRN website.
• Key requirements: The corresponding author for the article at the time of submission must be from MRU or another participating institution to be eligible for waived APCs. The waiver applies to the following types of submissions: Research Articles, Rapid Communications, Review Articles, Brief Reports, and Case Reports. MRU authors should use their mtroyal.ca email address when submitting to the journal to flag their eligibility for the waiver.

Company of Biologists

• Waived APCs in 3 hybrid journals and 2 gold open access journals
  • Eligible journals: Biology Open, Development, Disease Models & Mechanisms Journal of Cell Science, and Journal of Experimental Biology
• How it works: Authors should submit their manuscript using the following instructions. 
• Key requirements: The corresponding author for the article must be from MRU or another institution participating in the deal to be eligible for waived APCs. 

Elsevier via CKRN

• Waived APCs in the following 1805 hybrid journals
• 20% discount on APCs in the following 676 gold open access journals. This discount will drop to 15% in 2025-2026, and 10% in 2027.
• How it works: Starting January 1, 2024, authors will be offered the option to publish open access in eligible journals for free or at a discount after article acceptance.
• Key requirements: The corresponding author for the article at the time of submission must be from MRU or another participating institution to be eligible for waived or discounted APCs.

MDPI

• 10% discount on APCs at MDPI journals as part of the Institutional Open Access Program.
• Key requirements: MRU authors must use their mtroyal.ca email address when submitting to MDPI journals to flag their eligibility for the discount.

Oxford Journals via CKRN

• Waived APCs to publish in 350 hybrid journals (refer to the List of Eligible Hybrid Titles in the spreadsheet)
• 10% discount on article processing charges (APCs) in 155 gold open access journals (see the Gold APC discount tab in the spreadsheet)
• How it works: Starting February 1, 2024, MRU authors will be automatically offered the option to make their article open for free or at a discount in eligible journals upon acceptance of their work.
• Key requirements: The corresponding author for the article at the time of submission must be from MRU or another participating institution to be eligible for waived or discounted APCs. The corresponding author can not be changed after submission in order to qualify for the waiver or discount.

PLOS

• Waived APCs for PLOS open access journals
  • Eligible titles: PLOS Biology, PLOS Climate, PLOS Complex Systems, PLOS Computational Biology, PLOS Digital Health, PLOS Genetics, PLOS Global Public Health, PLOS Medicine, PLOS Mental Health, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, PLOS ONE, PLOS Pathogens, PLOS Sustainability and Transformation, and PLOS Water
• How it works: See the Publishing FAQ for Authors (from PLOS) for more information
• Key requirements: The corresponding author for the article must be from MRU or another institution participating in the deal to be eligible for waived APCs.

SAGE via CKRN

• Waived APCs in the following SAGE Choice hybrid journals
• 40% discount on APCs for gold open access journals
• How it works: Once the article is accepted, MRU authors can publish their article in gold open access for free or at a discount using the following instructions. Authors are asked to use their MRU institutional email address to aid identification.
• Key requirements: The corresponding author for the article at the time of submission must be from MRU or another participating institution to be eligible for waived or discounted APCs. The following submission types are not eligible for the waiver: errata, book reviews, editorials, published abstracts, call for papers, news items or similar

Taylor & Francis via CKRN

• 25% discount on APCs in T&F Open Select Journals
• How it works: Discount automatically applied upon acceptance of manuscript via author affiliation. Publishing instructions can be found on the Taylor & Francis website.
• Key requirements: The corresponding author for the article at the time of submission must be from MRU or another participating institution to be eligible for waived or discounted APCs.

Wiley via CKRN

• Waived APCs for Wiley's hybrid journals 
• How it works: Once the article is accepted, the author will be notified their article is eligible for open access publishing at no cost. 
• Key requirements: The corresponding author for the article at the time of submission must be from MRU or another participating institution to be eligible for waived or discounted APCs. Wiley’s gold open access journals are not eligible for this waiver.