Overview

The Scholarship Open Access Reserve (SOAR) Fund stems from Falvey Library's commitment to supporting open access publishing.  This program is designed to provide financial support to members of the Villanova community who are interested in publishing high quality open access publications. 

Please review the information below before applying for SOAR funding.  If you have any questions, please contact the SOAR committee.

Who can apply for SOAR funding?

Faculty, staff, and students affiliated with Villanova at the time of submission.

Funding Caps and Restrictions

Because SOAR funds are limited, there are funding caps imposed on authors and publications.

Authors

Individual Villanova applicants can receive up to $3,000 per fiscal year (June 1-May 30). If there are multiple Villanova authors on a publication, the fee will be prorated (e.g., $2,000 APC with 4 Villanova authors = $500 towards each author's annual funding cap). Funds do not roll over to the next fiscal year.

Publications

Regardless of the number of authors, there are caps on the total amount paid per publication: Journal articles funding is capped at $2,000 total; book funding is capped at $3,000 total.

Fully open access publications are eligible to receive up to 100% funding (subject to the caps above), but the SOAR Committee may choose to partially fund any application. See the "Publications Funded by SOAR" section for more information. 

Funding Cycle

There are 6 funding periods in each fiscal year, which runs June 1-May 30. Authors may submit at any time, but applications will only be reviewed during the review periods specified below. If, for example, an author submits an application on August 21 (Funding Period 4), they can expect their application to be reviewed in November and to receive a notification of award on or by November 30. Please plan accordingly.

*Applications must be received by 11:59pm Eastern Time on the final date listed under Application Submission Dates in order to be considered for that funding period. Late applications will be considered for the next funding period.

**Due to the timing of the fiscal year and university funding dispersal, Funding Cycle 6 will prioritize applications that have already been submitted or are otherwise likely to request payment by the end of the fiscal year in May.

Unused funds will roll over to the following funding period (but only in the current fiscal year).

When can authors submit?

Application Timing

Authors can submit at any time, but their application will not be reviewed until the associated review period (as outlined in the SOAR Funding Cycle). The review committee will not be able to rush decisions, so please plan accordingly.

At this time, we are unable to reimburse authors or their departments. Payments can only be made directly to the publisher. 

If an article approved for SOAR funding is subsequently withdrawn or rejected, authors are responsible for immediately informing the SOAR committee.

Pre-Publication Applications

Authors may submit an application for SOAR funding before they submit to a publication venue, but they must include the venue in which they hope to be published. The application may be conditionally approved while the author(s) wait for official acceptance from the publisher. All conditional approvals will expire 6 months after notification from the SOAR committee. Applicants must provide a copy of their acceptance letter before funds will be distributed directly to the publisher. 

It is the responsibility of the author(s) to notify the SOAR committee if the work was not accepted or will otherwise not need funding.

Post-Publication Applications

Authors are encouraged to submit a pre-publication application, but the SOAR committee will also accept an application for a work that has been accepted for publication but not yet published. Please note that funds will not be distributed until the end of the committee review period and may therefore not meet the publisher deadline for payment. We cannot rush decisions or payments, so please plan accordingly.

Updates After Submission

If you need to update or revise your application for any reason, please send an email to soar@villanova.edu with the corrections or updates.

How will funds be distributed?

At this time, SOAR funds can ONLY be paid directly to the publisher.  Please note the funding cycle timeline and deadlines and plan accordingly.

Payment Process

Successful applicants who are granted SOAR funds for a future publication will send a copy of the publisher acceptance letter and the publisher invoice to librm@villanova.edu. The library will pay the publisher directly within 10 business days of receipt if the publisher accepts credit card payments. If the publisher does NOT accept credit card payments, it may take at least 30 days to process payment.  

The library will pay the publisher directly and is unable to provide reimbursement to grant, departmental, or personal accounts at this time.

Publications Funded by SOAR

Publication venues will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. SOAR funding does not imply endorsement of any publishing venue or the research merit of any work.  

SOAR funding preference goes to open access publications that:

• Are peer-reviewed
• Are fully open access and do not charge a subscription fee
• Have publicly state fees schedules
• Are accessible immediately on publication
• Are listed in the DOAJ (with strongest preference given to those that have a DOAJ Seal) or have a publisher listed in the DOAB
• Are a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA)
• Are a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• Openly adheres to rigorous editorial and publication ethics (e.g., COPE Core Practices, OASPA's Code of Conduct, COPE/DOAJ/OASPA/WAME Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, etc.)
• Have demonstrated commitment to sustainable, affordable, and responsible open access publishing
• Provide waivers for authors who are unable to afford APCs
• Allow the author to retain copyright over their work
• Use Creative Commons licensing

The SOAR Committee additionally prefers applications that:

• Have a strong open access statements in section 4 of the application
• (For publications that have more than one author) have multiple Villanova authors and/or have a Villanova author as a first or second author
• Amplify voices that have historically been excluded and marginalized in academia and promote inclusive and equitable practices
• Include a Villanova applicant who has not received SOAR funding for the current fiscal year (June 1-May 30)
   

No single factor will be used to vet journals, and adherence to any or all of the above does not guarantee funding. 

Please see the “Funding Caps and Restrictions” section for more information on author requirements and funding restrictions.

Journals

"Fully open access" journals are journals in which all articles are free to read without a subscription. Journals that are behind a paywall but have the option for individual articles to be made open access are “hybrid” journals. Preference for SOAR funding will be given to fully open access journals over hybrid journals.

Fully Open Access Journals

Successful applicants can receive up to 100% funding for fully open access journal articles, not to exceed $2,000. 

Hybrid Journals

SOAR may fund a portion of hybrid journal APCs under certain circumstances. In addition to answering the regular application questions, applications must also explain why publishing in a fully open access journal or publishing green open access is not a good solution for them. 

Funding for hybrid journals is considered on a case-by-case basis.

Open Access Books and Monographs

Works published as open access books and monographs or as open access chapters in books and monographs may also be eligible for funding. 

Faculty seeking support for monograph publishing should also consult the Subvention of Publication Program.

Successful applicants can receive up to 100% funding for fully open access books and monographs or chapters in books and monographs, not to exceed $3,000 in total. 

Other Requirements and Information

• Successful applicants will be required to deposit a copy in a Falvey repository.
• Authors who receive SOAR funds are required to provide the following statement in their acknowledgements: "This work received funding from Villanova University’s Falvey Library Scholarship Open Access Reserve (SOAR) Fund."
• Applicants will be asked to provide a statement on why open access publishing is important to them and their work.
• Successful applicants will be asked to submit a copy of their publishing contract for our records.
• Authors will be encouraged to schedule a session with the Scholarly Communication Librarian to talk about promoting their work.

Apply for SOAR Funding