Open Access FAQ

How can I check whether a journal is eligible for funding?

Criteria 1: Accessibility
First, make sure that the journal is a full open access journal, i.e. that it allows immediate and free access to all its articles online. Publications in hybrid journals - i.e. subscription journals for which Open Access is only activated as an additional option for individual articles in return for payment - are not eligible for funding.
Publications in so-called "mirror journals" are also not eligible. "Mirror journals" have the same editorial board and a similar title as the associated subscription journal. Thus, they are merely another type of hybrid journal, even though they are listed in DOAJ.

To check whether a journal is a full open access journal, you can either consult the publisher’s website or check the Electronic Journals Library (EZB). The traffic-light system indicates the accessibility of each journal:

A green light indicates that the journal is fully open access.
A yellow, yellow-red or red light means that the journal offers either none or only some open access articles.

Generally journals with a green light are eligible for funding.

Criteria 2: Publishing costs
In addition, the amount of the Article Processing Charges (APCs) of the respective journal must be taken into account, as generally only APCs up to EUR 2,000 gross are eligible for funding by the TUM's Open Access Publishing Fund.

Differing regulations for individual faculties

Faculty of Physics: For faculty members there is no funding limit on Article Processing Charges (APC). Also articles in hybrid journals can be funded.
TUM Campus Straubing: Articles with Article Processing Charges (APC) of up to 3,360 EUR net can be funded.

Why are "mirror journals" not eligible for funding?

Publications in hybrid journals - i.e. subscription journals in which Open Access is only enabled as an additional option for individual articles in return for payment - are not eligible for funding.
The latest variant of hybrid journals are "mirror journals". A "mirror journal" is a fully open access version of an existing subscription journal with the same editorial board, goals, and scope, as well as the same peer review procedures and policies. The journal may have a similar name to the subscription journal, but must have a different ISSN. Libraries must still subscribe to the original journal to gain access to it, but payments for OA articles will flow into the "mirror journal".

A journal I am interested in is not listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals – what does that mean?

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) only lists journals which are fully open access, meet certain quality criteria and sought inclusion into the DOAJ. A journal not being listed in the DOAJ can have several reasons:

The journal is not fully open access but a so-called ‘hybrid journal,’ i.e. a subscription based journal that offers open access as an option for an additional charge.
The journal may be too new: it can take several month from the application to the DOAJ to the actual listing.
The publisher did not apply (yet) to have the journal listed in the DOAJ.
The journal or the publisher did not meet (or no longer meet) the quality criteria of the DOAJ.

That a journal be included in the DOAJ is not a requirement to receive funding. However, the journal must ensure the quality of the articles through a peer review process.

Are journals eligible for funding if they only offer open access as an additional service for individual articles?

A journal that immediately makes all its articles publicly available free of charge upon publication is fully open access. If, however, open access is offered only as an additional service for individual articles while the journal itself is otherwise subscription or license based, it is a so called ‘hybrid journal.’

For these journals, libraries would have to pay twice: once for the subscription and once for making an article open access. Therefore we have mandated that articles in hybrid journals must not be funded by the Open Access Publication Fund.

Differing regulations for individual faculties

Faculty of Physics: Articles in hybrid journals can also be funded.

Could I cover the cost above the funding limit myself?

No, a partial funding of the cost is not possible. The funding limit must cover the actual cost of the publication – it cannot be augmented by other funds or grants. If the charges for an article cannot be covered in total, for example because they are above the maximum limit, the publication fund cannot provide any financial help for the publication. However, there always remains the possibility to contact the publisher regarding the costs.

The cap on the amount of funding available is an attempt to curb the price increases by the publishers.

Exception:

TUM School of Life Sciences: Articles with an APC up to 2,100 EUR net are covered by the Publication Fund. If APCs are above this amount, the remaining costs must be covered by the respective chair or professorship.

Do I have to pay for my article in advance?

No – that would actually cause problems, since the costs cannot be reimbursed due to tax reasons.

As soon as you receive the acceptance of the publication fund you can forward the invoice to access@ub.tum.de – the university library will then pay the publisher.

Where can I find information on a journal’s quality and how do I recognize predatory journals?

Unfortunately, there are a number of suspect journals and publishers out there and it is important to avoid those. It is, however, not always easy to recognize them. The following websites offer some orientation:

List of Predatory Publishers lists all publishers and journals known or suspected to be predatory.
Quality Open Access Market (QOAM) offers information on the quality of journals and allows its users to leave reviews.
ThinkCheckSubmit offers a helpful list of criteria for evaluating journals.
ThinkCheckAttend aims to guide and assist researchers when choosing trusted conferences to attend and to present their research at.

Many full open access journals are listed in the DOAJ. Any journal listed there can be safely assumed to be trustworthy since only journals meeting certain quality criteria are included. However, just because a journal is not included does not mean that it is predatory; it may be that the journal was established too recently or that the publisher has not asked to have the journal included in the list.

When should I send a funding request?

It is always advisable to apply for funding through the TUM Publishing Fund via web form before you submit your paper. Applications can be made at the earliest 4 weeks before the submission of the article. You will then know at an early stage whether your funding application will be accepted or rejected and whether the publisher might be predatory.

Deviating regulations for individual faculties

Faculty of Physics: Confirmation of cost coverage can only be given once the article has been accepted by the publisher.

Could I apply for funding despite having left the TUM?

The decisive factor is whether the research the article is based on was done while at TUM. If you have written an article on research you did while at TUM and submit it to a journal after you have left, you are still eligible for funding. It is, however, a requirement that you name the TUM as the affiliated institution.

I do not fulfill the publication fund’s criteria for funding – do I still qualify for the publisher’s discount?

That depends on the publisher. At MDPI and Sage all TUM members do get the discount, even if the article is not eligible for funding by the publication fund. The same is not true for the other publishers; there the discount is locked to the publication fund.

What is the maximum number of articles / applications I am allowed submit in a given year?

At the moment there is no limitation.

Are there any other funding options for my publication?

On the platform open-access.net you can find further information for authors, amongst other things about funding options.

How can I check whether the article exceeds the funding limit?

Articles can only be funded by the TUM Publication Fund if the total costs do not exceed 2,000 EUR gross

Value-added tax
Please be advised that the costs quoted by publishers are usually without VAT (e.g. indicated by phrases like “excl. taxes”). In these cases, you have to add 19 % VAT to the price given.

Discounts and agreements with publishers
With some publishers the TUM has reached agreements on discounts. In this cases you may deduct a discount on APCs before adding VAT. Journals published by Frontiers offer special conditions: Through a far reaching agreement, articles in all Frontiers journals submitted until the end of 2021 can be funded – regardless of acutal costs, all APCs will be discounted to stay below the maximum theshold of the TUM Publishing Fund.

Publishing costs for articles in Wiley and Springer Nature Open Access journals will be covered through central funds on the basis of contractual agreements, irrespective of the amount of APCs.

Differing regulations for individual faculties

Faculty of Physics: For faculty members there is no funding limit on Article Processing Charges (APC).
TUM Campus Straubing: Articles with Article Processing Charges (APC) of up to 3,360 EUR net can be funded.
TUM School of Life Sciences: Articles with APCs up to 2,100 EUR net can be covered by the publication fund. If APCs are above this amount, the remaining costs must be covered by the respective chair or professorship.
TUM School of Medicine: Articles with APCs up to 2,500 EUR net can be covered by the publication fund.
Requirement: The impact factor of the journal you want to publish in is >5.

Can I publish in Springer Nature or Wiley journals Open Access without personal costs?

The Technical University of Munich participates in the nationwide DEAL contracts with the scientific publishers Springer Nature and Wiley. The agreement offers you new, extended options for publishing your research results open access.

Hybrid Open Access
As an author at TUM you are entitled to publish your scientific articles in Springer and Wiley subscription journals open access. There are no personal costs for you – unless you agree on certain additional services, for which the publisher will invoice you directly.
Gold Open Access
You can also publish in pure open access journal from Wiley or Springer Nature (including BioMed Central). Invoices for publication costs in these journals are handled centrally by the TUM University Library.

Please always indicate TUM as your affiliation when submitting your articles. Please observe the requirements of the TUM Publication Guidelines for all your publication projects.