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Open access publishing

Open access is a publishing model that aims to reduce barriers to access to research. Learn about your options and opportunities as an author.

Library resources

  • Open Access (OA) Publishing Fund

Supports eligible RRU researchers (current core faculty, full-time staff, and graduate students working under the supervision of a faculty member) who wish to publish in eligible fully open access (gold OA) journals and who are required to pay an article processing charge (APC) to do so and do not have other sources of funding that can be applied to these charges. Visit the OA Publishing Fund page for more information.

  • VIURRSpace for self-archiving and showcasing publications

VIURRSpace is RRU’s open access institutional repository for showcasing RRU research by making it openly and widely available. VIURRSpace aims to capture publications and other research outputs appropriate for permanent retention. Many major publishers allow authors to self-archive (deposit) a pre-copyedited version of their publication in their institution’s repository. Interested in depositing your work in VIURRSpace? Visit our guide here.

Elsevier ScienceDirect resources

  • APC Discount for most Elsevier ScienceDirect journals

RRU is a participating member institution in the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) agreement to receive a 20% discount on APCs for most Elsevier ScienceDirect hybrid and gold OA journals. Cell Press, The Lancet, and some other society-owned journals are excluded.

Corresponding Authors must indicate their affiliation with a participating member institution upon submitting their manuscript to receive the discount on eligible publications. Conact the Library for more information, including a list of included and excluded titles.

SAGE resources

  • APC Wavier for SAGE Choice (hybrid OA) journals

RRU is a participating member institution in CRKN's transofrmative read and publish agreement with SAGE Publishing. RRU authors receive a waiver of the APC to publish OA in over 900 SAGE Choice journals (journals excluded from SAGE Choice are listed here). 

The SAGE Choice program offers authors the option to make their articles freely available upon publication in most subscription-based SAGE Journals. 

  • APC Discount for SAGE gold OA journals

Gold OA journals automatically and immediately make their articles available online at no cost to readers. As a particpating member institution in CRKN's agreement, RRU authors receive a 40% discount on APCs for participating SAGE gold OA journals (SAGE gold OA journals that are not eligible for the discount are listed here).

Processing of the 40% discount for gold OA journals and the APC waiver for SAGE Choice journals is done automatically via the SAGE Open Access Portal (SOAP) when corresponding authors identify themselves as affiliated to a participating CRKN institution

SOAP is a dashboard for authors to submit their article, select a copyright license, assign a bill payer (if applicable), and view article status. A Creative Commons license will be applied to OA publications unless a different license is requested by the author. If an author is eligible for more than one discount for gold journals, discounts cannot be combined but the highest discount available will be applied to the APC due.

Wiley resources

  • APC Waiver for Wiley Hybrid OA journals

RRU is a participating member institution in CRKN's two-year transformative read-and-publish agreement with Wiley. This agreement waives APCs for RRU authors who publish their articles as open access in Wiley hybrid OA journals during the term of the agreement

This agreement does not include articles published in gold OA Wiley journals. For more information a list of hybrid OA Wiley titles, see Wiley's Author Services site.

Processing of the APC waiver is done automatically via the Wiley Author Services Dashboad when corresponding authors identify themselves as affiliated to a participating CRKN institution.

Royal Society of Chemistry resources

  • APC Discount for Royal Society of Chemistry hybrid journals

RRU is a participating member institution in CRKN's agreement with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and are eligible to receive a 15% discount on APCs for all RSC hybrid OA journals.

Processing of the 15% discount for hybrid OA journals is done automatically when authors indicate their affiliation to a CRKN member institution upon submitting their manuscript.