Frequently Asked Questions
What are APCs?
Article Processing Charges, or APCs, are fees paid by authors or institutions during the publication process that makes a paper Open Access. These vary between fields and titles, and range from no cost to many thousands of dollars. The result of these APCs, once paid, is that articles become freely available to anyone online. In some cases, researchers choose to build APCs into grant applications in anticipation of these fees.
Do I have to pay?
Paying an APC is optional, but if you choose to publish in a journal without using the APC pathway, your paper may be subject to restricted, paywalled access.
Can the library pay this fee for me? Are there grants available?
The library has no mechanism in place to fund APCs: any past instances of this service are examples of a discontinued program. The library has no granting power to manage APCs, but other institutional or external grants may be available on enquiry to your department. The library does, however, participate in several Transformative Agreements (see below) that can reduce the onus on the author.
What is a Transformative Agreement?
Transformative Agreements are licenses between the library/institution and a publisher to fund APCs, either in full or at a discount. These agreements provides immediate Open Access publication using a Creative Commons license selected by the author. Alternately, you may find there are other Open Access pathways are available.
What are Open Access pathways?
Many journals offer multiple options for Creative Commons licensing, and we advise you familiarise yourself with what journals in your field offer. If a journal offers an Open Access pathway, it may provide full access with a paid APC, but also provide options, including self-archiving (pre- and post-prints) with no fee. Check the self-archiving publisher conditions that are required as there may be embargo and citation requirements.
How do I check if a journal is covered by a Transformative Agreement?
TMU's Transformative Agreement subscriptions are listed in several locations. The Canadian Research and Knowledge Network (CRKN) offers an up-to-date list of current affiliations: look for publishers and publications with TMU listed as a license participant. In addition, TMU's SciFree instance lists Open Access publications and their various pathways in a conveniently searchable format.
I have chosen to take advantage of a TMU-affiliated Transformative Agreement. How do I activate it?
Ensure that you submit your paper from your @torontomu.ca email address: in most cases the discount will be applied automatically.
I received an email: what Licence do I use?
When you receive your confirmation email, read it carefully to see what your next steps are. You will be asked to choose the Creative Commons licence type you wish to use, post-acceptance of your paper.
Can I also Deposit in the Institutional Repository?
In many cases, yes. Your publisher contract in subscription journals often allows the author to self archive for free a version of their paper to RShare. It is recommended that you post your work to RShare when possible. Please reach out to the RShare team for assistance in populating your page.