A New Compliance Option for Authors to Meet Funder Mandates
Funder mandates that require public access to articles via institutional repository along with a CC BY (unrestricted) license can at times place some authors in a difficult position, particularly if they do not have access to funds to support publishing Gold OA (i.e., Open Access for a fee from the author, its funder, or its institution). These mandates can often have the effect of restricting author publishing choices or make it challenging for an author to find funding to support the full cost of an article processing charge (APC), the fee traditionally used to make the version of record of an article freely available to all. Therefore, IEEE has developed a new path to compliance for authors obligated to comply with such mandates – the Repository License Fee (RLF). With this new option, authors will now have three ways to comply while publishing in the periodical or conference of their choice:
- The article can be published via Gold Open Access with an APC in any of IEEE’s more than 200 fully OA or hybrid journals, whether funded by a Read & Publish Agreement (R&P) or paid individually by the author(s). Upon publication, the version of record (VOR) can be placed into any open repository with a CC BY license.
- The article can be published without an APC in a subscription-based journal and the VOR will be available to subscribers only, but the accepted manuscript (AM) can be placed in an open repository. This Green Open Access option has been available to authors from IEEE for many years. There is never any fee associated with this option, but it does not include a CC BY license.
- Or, via the new Repository License Fee option, the article can be published without an APC in a subscription-based journal and the VOR will be available to subscribers only, but the AM can be placed in an open repository with a CC BY license. This option is only available under certain conditions (described below) and with the payment of the Repository License Fee, which was specifically developed in response to the demand from funders and institutions to enable mandate compliance.
The Repository License Fee option was specially developed for authors who have employer or funder mandates to post the AM in a repository with a CC BY, but the publication venue of choice does not offer a traditional article processing charge (APC) to publish Gold OA or the funding entity does not allow funds to be used to support APCs under any circumstances. The RLF supports the cost of publishing services through the final editorial decision, including organizing, developing, and maintaining the high-quality, scholarly peer-review process provided by IEEE’s vast global network of editors and reviewers. Because the inclusion of a CC BY can enable commercial or derivative works of the AMs, the RLF helps to ensure that IEEE can continue to maintain a sustainable, high-quality publishing program that supports the IEEE mission to provide critical opportunities for authors to share their works with the global community.
The current RLF price is $1,275 for periodical articles and $400 for conference articles and is applicable only to AMs and not to versions of record (VORs). (Please note that RLFs are subject to the same low-income country discounting that is applicable to APCs, using the World Bank Index to determine income levels.) If an author chooses to publish Gold OA and pays an APC through an R&P or individual payment, no RLF is needed and the CC BY (or different chosen license) is placed on the VOR rather than the AM. If no APC option is available for a particular periodical or conference (this is largely true of conferences only), payment of an RLF now makes it possible for an author to comply with the funder or employer mandate to include the AM in a public repository with a CC BY.
The RLF option is available only where the author is under mandate to provide the article in a publicly open repository with a CC BY license, and such mandate must be documented in writing.
This new option will be available beginning early April and will be presented as an option to eligible authors via the IEEE Electronic Copyright Form (eCF) once their article has been accepted for publication.
Listed below are answers to some frequently asked questions to help clarify this new option.
FAQS:
Will IEEE still have a Green OA policy?
Yes, as per IEEE post-publication policies, IEEE still allows for Green OA and has done so for many years. IEEE allows an author, if required to do so by its funder, to place the accepted manuscript (AM) in a publicly accessible repository, such as a university archive, with no charge. The version of record (VOR) would remain in IEEE Xplore and be accessible to subscribers. The no-fee Green OA method remains an option to the author. However, the AM does not include a CC BY license.
Does this mean IEEE is now charging for Green OA?
No, IEEE still enables authors to publish without an APC in a subscription-based journal and to place the AM in an open repository. There is no fee associated with this option, but it does not include a CC BY license.
Does this mean IEEE is now charging a submission fee?
No, the RLF is not a submission fee. The RLF is required only where the author is under a mandate to provide the article in a publicly open repository with a CC BY license. When applied under these specific circumstances, the RLF is payable upon acceptance (not submission).
When does this go live?
The RLF will be an available option starting early April. It will be offered to eligible authors during the post-acceptance production process, and authors who need the RLF will be passed over to RightsLink for payment.
What is the RLF price?
The RLF list price is $1,275 for periodical articles and $400 for conference articles, and it is applicable only to AMs and not to VORs.
Will IEEE apply RLF pricing discounts to lower- and middle-income countries?
Yes, both RLFs and APCs are subject to discounting based on the World Bank Index classification of countries determining income status. Please see the IEEE Low and Lower-Middle Income Country Open Access Discount Program page.
Can an RLF later be credited into an APC to make the article Gold OA?
Yes, this option will be available for a limited period of time prior to the publication of the final article/paper in IEEE Xplore.
Does this apply to any author or institution?
The Repository License Fee option was specially developed for authors who have institutional mandates to post the AM in a repository with a CC BY, but without funding to support a traditional APC to publish open access.
How will the process work?
Once the author verifies that their article is funded by an organization mandating a CC BY license, IEEE accepts the application of a CC BY license on the Accepted Manuscript, not the final published version of the article (Version of Record). Specifically:
- Authors may deposit the AM in a repository specified by their mandate.
- No delay or embargo period is required prior to posting to the repository.
- IEEE accepts the author’s assignment of a CC BY license on the deposited version.
- IEEE will maintain copyright for the final published version of the work (Version of Record), which remains available in IEEE Xplore for subscription-based access.
When is the Repository License Fee (RLF) available as an option to authors?
The RLF is an option available only to authors who are mandated by funders or employers to post the accepted manuscript (AM) in a repository with a CC BY (unrestricted) license, but the publication venue of choice does not offer a traditional article processing charge (APC) to publish Gold OA or the funding entity does not allow funds to be used to support APCs under any circumstances. If no APC option is available for a particular periodical or conference (this is largely true of conferences and some magazines), payment of an RLF now makes it possible for an author to comply with the funder or employer mandate to include the AM in a public repository with a CC BY.
To clarify, the option is available only under the specific conditions described above and with the payment of the RLF, which was specifically developed in response to the demand from funders and employers to enable mandate compliance.
Additional information and answers to commonly asked questions on the RFL are available here.