The HSHSL obtained “transformational” funding from UMB to support innovative Open Access (OA) publishing agreements. These “read and publish” agreements allow UMB researchers access to publishers’ subscription content and also provide an opportunity to publish an OA article without paying article processing charges (APCs).  These agreements cover APCs for research articles in a set of subscription journals with Elsevier and Wiley, not fully Open Access journals. This is also known as the Hybrid Gold model, where the journal is subscription-based, but the APC will make the specific article open.

Who is eligible?

• Anyone UMB-affiliated, including students, is eligible to publish under these agreements, however, the UMB author must be the corresponding author.
• The corresponding author is the author who submits the manuscript and other documentation to the journal and is the primary contact between the journal and the co-authors. Importantly, the corresponding author’s affiliation will be used to determine eligibility for the publishing agreement. The affiliations of other co-authors are not relevant for agreement eligibility.

How does the process work?

The process of publishing under the agreement is straightforward:

• Step 1 – Once the journal accepts your article, you will be given the option to make your article open access.

• Step 2 – You will be asked to review your affiliation and funder details. Based on this information, you will see personalized publishing options including the option to publish under the agreement.

• Step 3 – UMB will validate your eligibility for the agreement.  Please note that the number of APCs included under the agreement is fixed and will be allocated based on date of acceptance.