Publish in open access
The University of Montpellier offers support for managing scientific publications and publishing in Open Access.
Open Access at a Glance
This international movement, which emerged in the 1990s, aims to make scientific publications freely available to readers at no cost. To this end, two approaches have been identified: open access repositories (online repositories where researchers can upload their scientific work) and open access journals (scientific journals operating under various business models).
Toolkit and Services
Publish in Open Access
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
Guide to Implementing the Non-Assignment of Rights Strategy ( SNCD)
LRN
Publishers' Open Access Policy
Sherpa Romeo: an online resource for analyzing publishers' open access policies
The Mir@belnetwork, dedicated to promoting the content of scientific journals available online
Predatory publishers
Think Check Submit:
List of journals recommended by the Conference of Medical Deans
scientific publications
Open Access journals with article processing charges (APCs)
Most scientific publications, which are often funded by public money, are available through subscriptions from publishers. The fees paid by higher education institutions and research organizations to access this content are very high and continue to rise.
“Transformative agreements,” negotiated in France by the Couperin consortium, aim to shift from a traditional subscription model to a model in which all articles are published as open access through the payment of APCs. Some publishers, without being fully committed to transformative agreements, allow articles to be published as open access after payment of APCs. APCs (Article Processing Charges) are therefore publication fees charged by publishers to fund the open access dissemination of scientific articles.
The University of Montpellier is a signatory to a number of these agreements and therefore covers the costs associated with open-access publication of articles in these journals. The Joint Documentation Service (SCD) manages subscriptions and article processing charges (APCs).
If you are recognized as a member of the UM faculty and are the corresponding author, you are eligible to take advantage of these agreements. Click here for a list of the participating publishers and journals.
For more information: Contact the Open Science and Research Support Team at the SCD
The APC model is very costly: in France, APC costs have risen sharply in recent years, and projections through 2030 are alarming. At the local level, an estimate of APC expenses paid by the UM is available on the OpenAPC platform.
Furthermore, the open-access publishing model has fostered the emergence of so-called “predatory” publishers. These publishers charge article processing charges (APCs) and publish articles after a minimal—or even nonexistent—peer-review process. Their motivation is purely financial, and publishing with them can be detrimental to authors.
Tools for publishing in open access without an article processing charge (APC) are listed in the toolkit below.
"Diamond" Open Access journals
Unlike the article processing charge (APC) model, it is possible to publish in Open Access without paying publication fees by choosing so-called “diamond” journals (which are free for both authors and readers, thanks to upfront institutional funding). To find diamond journals in your field, visit the DOAJ website.
Here are a few examples of “diamond” journals that promote preprints and/or incorporate open peer review into their review process:
For more information, you can watch the webinar “How to Find a Journal for Open Access Publishing” orvisit . Contact the SCD’s Open Science and Research Support Team
Signature Policy
The guidelines for the authorship of scientific publications by researchers affiliated with the University of Montpellier’s research units were approved in 2016 and updated in March 2021. Standardized authorship is crucial for identifying the University’s and its research organizations’ publications in bibliometric surveys, evaluations, and international rankings.