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Hello, UCF Grad Students and Postdoctoral Scholars! Do you have an interest in getting published in an Open Access (OA) journal but don’t know much about how it all works? Well, look no further. Here is a brief background on publishing Open Access and specifically Article Processing Charges (APCs).

If an author wants to publish and make their work openly accessible in a traditional or hybrid Open Access journal, they will typically have to pay a fee, called an Article Processing Charge (APC). This APC helps off-set publishing and editorial charges that the journal would traditionally get by charging a subscription fee to readers. Prices vary and will depend on the journal but can be quite pricey.

Because of the cost, these APCs can be a hindrance to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars seeking publication in Open Access journals, but UCF can provide some support. The UCF College of Graduate Studies started a pilot program back in 2019 to help support publishing in Open Access journals. The program is called the UCF College of Graduate Studies Open Access Publishing Fund. If you are a current or recent (within one year of graduation or employment) UCF graduate student or postdoctoral scholar, you could be eligible for this funding support to publish in Open Access journals.

A few things to keep in mind if you are interested in utilizing these funds:

• The student or postdoctoral scholar must be listed as first author of publication and be enrolled or employed at UCF within one year of the acceptance of manuscript for publication
• The research occurred while the student/postdoc was affiliated with UCF and UCF is listed as the current or past institution of the first author
• The journal is listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
• The publisher is a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) or adheres to its code of conduct
• The research was not funded by an agency that has a public access mandate
• If the research was sponsored, APCs were not allocated in the budget

For questions regarding the UCF College of Graduate Studies Open Access Publishing Fund, please review their online form: https://graduate.ucf.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Open-Access-Publishing.pdf or visit their website for further details: https://graduate.ucf.edu/other-funding-resources/.

Keep in mind the Office of Scholarly Communication is here to assist you with any Open Access question or need. Visit our website for other information: https://library.ucf.edu/about/departments/scholarly-communication/.

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For additional information or to answer any questions please contact Sarah Norris, Scholarly Communication Librarian by email at: sarah.norris@ucf.edu.

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