Falvey Memorial Library’s Scholarship Open Access Reserve (SOAR) Fund

Falvey Memorial Library has committed to support open access journal publication in the 2015-16 fiscal year with the Scholarship Open Access Reserve (SOAR) Fund.  This program is designed to provide financial support to Villanova faculty who are interested in publishing in high quality open access journals.  Faculty may be eligible to have article processing fees incurred publishing in open access journals paid by Falvey Memorial Library.

In the grand scheme of scholarly publishing, open access journals are a relatively new development.  Unlike conventional journals disseminated by paid subscriptions, open access journals make articles freely available to all without paywall barriers.  The emergence and expansion of open access journals have the potential to significantly improve access to new ideas and thinking for scholars and students while acting as a moderating force on exponential library journal price increases.  However, for faculty doing research not funded by grants or gifts that cover article processing charges, publication in open access journals can be prohibitively expensive.  This is where Falvey Memorial Library’s SOAR Fund can help promote both open access and research at Villanova.

Who:  Full- time (tenure and non-tenure track) Villanova faculty are eligible.

What: Falvey Memorial Library may pay up to $2000 in article processing fees on behalf of faculty for an accepted article’s publication in an open access journal.   Sponsored research covered by grants or gifts that provide for article processing fees are exempt.

Where:  Publication in true, sometimes called gold, open access journals are qualified.  Journals that accept article processing fees on the article level to enhance access will not be considered.  Falvey Memorial Library Resource Council will assess targeted journals based on additional quality criteria before granting funding.

Why: By nurturing open access publishing Falvey Memorial Library aspires to support the University’s commitment to a just dissemination of knowledge

When: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with total funding capped at $10,000 in the 2015-2016 budget.

How: Visit the Open Access Fund Pilot Program page, read the Terms and Conditions and apply!

Article by Linda Hauck, MS, MBA, business librarian and team coordinator for the Business Research team.