UTokyo has contracted "Transformative Agreements"(TAs) for academic journals with several academic publishers. The TA is a comprehensive contract for subscription fees with APC, which reduces overall costs and further promotes OA of articles.
This page contains questions and answers about the University Library's OA article publication support, mainly regarding TAs.
*This page includes questions asked at past OA seminars.
*This page includes machine translation. If any differences in wording or interpretation should occur between Japanese and English, the Japanese part will take precedence.
[About eligible persons and articles]
Q1-2. If enrolment is a requirement, when must an article be accepted by a graduate student?
Q1-3. Can part-time lecturers receive OA publication support if they are the corresponding authors?
Q1-4. Is it applicable even if the corresponding author is a visiting researcher / an emeritus professor?
Q1-5. If the corresponding author is a JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists, is it eligible?
Q1-11. Are eligible articles limited to natural science articles?
Q1-12. How can I check which journals are eligible?
[About request and approval]
Q2-4. How much time do you expect the library to take to confirm and approve an OA application?
Q2-7. Do I need to apply to the library in addition to applying on the publisher's system?
[About OA publication slots]
Q3-1. Is there a way to check the remaining OA publication slots available for each publisher?
Q3-3. When is the counting break for OA publication slots?
Q3-4. If the slots for a certain year are not used up, will they be carried over to the next year?
[Others]
Q4-2. Please tell me where to contact and how to make inquiries regarding OA article publication support.
Q4-3. I would like to see documents from previous OA publication information sessions.
Q4-4. Will an information session regarding OA article publication support be held in the future?
Q4-5. Does UTokyo specify the license (CC license) to be applied to the article?
【About eligible persons and articles】
Q1-1. What are the requirements for authors and articles to be eligible for OA article publication support?
A1-1. In principle, the following authors and articles are eligible for support. However, this may change in the future depending on the operational status during the trial period.
- A researcher affiliated with the UTokyo and the corresponding author of the article in question (Reference: Q1-2, Q1-3, Q1-4)
- Research results conducted at UTokyo (Reference: Q1-8)
- UTokyo must be listed in the article as the corresponding author's affiliation.
For other terms and conditions, please see the description of each publisher in the 'APC (Article Processing Charges) Support, Exemptions, and Discounts'
Q1-2. If enrolment is a requirement, when must an article be accepted by a graduate student?
A1-2. In principle, a corresponding author must be enrolled at our university at the time you apply for OA publication support. Similarly, faculty and staff members must be enrolled at our university at the time they apply for OA publication support. (If you have retired or are ineligible for support at the time of the request, you will not be eligible for support.)
Q1-3. Can part-time lecturers receive OA publication support if they are the corresponding authors?
A1-3. If a part-time lecturer is also enrolled at UTokyo and is the corresponding author of an article based on research results conducted at UTokyo, and UTokyo is listed as an affiliated member in the article, will be eligible for support.
Q1-4. Is it applicable even if the corresponding author is a visiting researcher / an emeritus professor?
A1-4. As a general rule, those who are not employed by the university, such as visiting researchers, and whose main duties are at other institutions (such as institutions where they are employed) are not eligible for support.
Emeritus professors will be eligible for support if they continue their research activities at this university, have no other primary institution (employed institution, etc.), and list UTokyo as affiliated in their article.
Q1-5. If the corresponding author is a JSPS Research Fellowship for Young Scientists, is this applicable?
A1-5. JSPS Research Fellowships for Young Scientists (excluding DCs and including Postdoctoral Fellowship for Foreign Researchers) will be employed as Project Researchers if they are newly accepted after FY2024 at the University. Even if there is no employment relationship, in principle, if the researcher is dedicated to research at the University and meets other conditions, such as the University of Tokyo's Guidelines for the Acceptance of JSPS Research Fellowships and the balance of treatment about those employed as Project Researchers or DCs, he/she will be eligible for support.
Q1-6. Is it possible to receive support if the first author who is not the corresponding author and is responsible for the publication costs is affiliated with this university?
A1-6. The Corresponding Author must be enrolled at UTokyo.
Q1-7. If there are multiple corresponding authors on an article, will one of them be eligible? Or is only the corresponding author who operates the submission system eligible?
A1-7. Depending on the submission system, most systems require that one responsible author be defined, and only that responsible author is eligible. For example, at Wiley, if there are multiple responsible authors, only the Responsible Corresponding Author is eligible.
Q1-8. Among the principles for OA article publication support, how is it guaranteed that the research was conducted at UTokyo?
A1-8. Although it is not possible for the library to strictly confirm that research was conducted at our university, we ask that you apply based on this principle, taking into account the purpose of the system.
Q1-9. Does it only cover the cost of making the article OA? For example, won't the cost of coloring figures or the cost of an article longer than the specified length be covered?
A1-9. Under the Transformative Agreement, only the cost of making the article OA is eligible for support.
Q1-10. APC may be able to pay proportionally by author, but is it possible to pay only for the UTokyo author's portion through support?
A1-10. APC's system of prorated payments by the author is not supported.
Q1-11. Are eligible articles limited to natural science articles?
A1-11. Eligible articles are not limited to natural science articles. For specific target journals, please check the list of target titles posted under each publisher's section on the library website.
Q1-12. How can I check which journals are eligible?
A1-12. Target journals are listed in the "Target journal list'' under "Target journal'' for each publisher. As a general rule, titles not listed here are not eligible journals.
Example: For Springer, it is the yellow highlighted part below.
https://www.lib.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/library/contents/inside/apc_details#springer
Q1-13. Is the Nature brand covered by the transformative agreement? And is Nature Communications eligible for the OA publication support?
A1-13. The Nature brand hybrid journals are not covered by the transformative agreement. And the fully OA journal Nature Communications is not target of the transformative agreements.
【About requests and approvals】
Q2-1. Even if I am not aware of the OA article publication support system, is there a flow in which I can apply if I am a responsible author affiliated with our university who has been accepted by the relevant journal?
A2-1. The publisher's system determines whether you are an author at an eligible institution based on your institutional affiliation and the domain of your e-mail address, so you can apply for OA publication even if you are not aware of the support system.
However, there are cases where the publisher's system does not determine that you are affiliated with UTokyo, such as when you use an email address that does not belong to our university's domain. Please refer to the Q&A below. (Reference: Q2-3)
Q2-2. Is it correct to understand that among publishers that can receive support for OA article publication, all researchers whose publications are published in relevant journals benefit from it?
A2-2. In principle, articles are eligible for OA publication support until they exceed the publication quota for the relevant year, but this does not apply if the corresponding author does not choose OA publication.
Q2-3. Staff email or ECCS cloud email are recommended for email addresses when submitting articles, but I feel reluctant to use email addresses that I don't normally use for contact information. If a paper submitted by an email address other than the u-tokyo domain is accepted, can I apply for OA publication?
A2-3. It is possible to apply with an email address other than the u-tokyo domain. However, depending on the publisher, if the email address is from a department-issued domain or an email address other than the university's domain, it may not be determined that the email address belongs to UTokyo, and as a result, it may not be possible to provide support. For this reason, we recommend posting via staff email or ECCS cloud email. Additionally, even if your request is successful, your request may not be approved if the University Library cannot confirm your enrollment. Please register your email address at the time of request so that it can be checked on the Personnel directory and library system (MyOPAC).
Q2-4. How much time do you expect the library to take to confirm and approve an OA application?
A2-4. As a general rule, we plan to complete the approval procedure within one week (5 business days) after submitting a publication application. However, if it is difficult to confirm your enrollment at our university, it may take longer.
Q2-5. If the OA request is not approved, will the author be responsible for the OA publication costs? Is it possible to cancel the OA publication?
A2-5. If the University has no more available slots for publication, or if you are not considered eligible for OA publication support in light of the terms of your contract with the publisher, you will, in principle, have the following options:
*For Hybrid OA journals
Authors will be asked to choose between publishing as an OA article by paying the Open Access fee themselves or publishing in a conventional form, accessible only to subscribing institutions, without OA.
*For Full OA journals
Authors must pay the open access fee.
Q2-6. If a request for OA publication support is not approved because the responsible author is no longer at the UTokyo at the time of the request, for example, because he/she has moved from the UTokyo after submission, can the request be resubmitted with the responsible author changed to an author eligible for support?
A2-6. It is possible to change the responsible author and resubmit the article if the publisher approves, but please take care not to submit or publish the article based on 'inappropriate authorship', taking into account the concept of responsible authorship in your field and the division of roles between co-authors.
Q2-7. Do I need to apply to the library in addition to applying on the publisher's system?
A2-7. If the application has been properly submitted on the publisher's system, the library will receive a notification email. It is not necessary to make a separate application or contact the library directly.
However, for prompt enrolment confirmation, please register the email address used for the submission in the personnel directory and MyOPAC.
If you receive a guide that differs from the publisher's procedural guide, or if you have any other concerns, please contact the library.
【About OA publication slots】
Q3-1. Is there a way to check the remaining OA publication slots available for each publisher?
A3-1. You can check the remaining OA publication slots on "APC (Article Processing Charges) Support, Exemptions, and Discounts (On-campus only information)".
Please note that some publishers have an unlimited number of OA publications, so please also check the following page.
APC (Article Processing Charges) Support, Exemptions, and Discounts
Q3-2. Considering the current number of publications within the university, are there enough slots for publications?
A3-2. We are making every effort to ensure availability of publication slots to provide the maximum possible support; however, due to budget constraints, the slots for some publishers may run out before the end of the contract period. We deeply regret not being able to secure sufficient slots and kindly ask for your understanding.
Q3-3. When is the counting break for OA publication slots?
A3-3. The delimitation of the use of OA publication slots is based on the contract with the publisher. Please check the explanation of each publisher on the information page for the validity period.
Information page
APC (Article Processing Charges) Support, Exemptions, and Discounts
APC (Article Processing Charges) Support, Exemptions, and Discounts (On-campus only information)
Q3-4. If the slots for a certain year are not used up, will they be carried over to the next year?
A3-4. As a general rule, the contract does not allow carryover. Some publishers allow carryover under certain conditions.
Q3-5. Is it correct to assume that OA publication slots will be used in the order of application, regardless of the quality of the article?
A3-5. Publication slots for OA articles will be used in the order of applications after the article is accepted.
【Others】
Q4-1. Is it necessary to include in the acknowledgment that the university will cover the cost of publishing OA articles?
A4-1. It is not mandatory to include an acknowledgment.
Please note that in the case of Springer Nature, the following will be automatically added to the Funding Note.
'Open access funding provided by University of Tokyo.'
Q4-2. Please tell me where to contact and how to make inquiries regarding OA article publication support.
A4-2. It is posted here.
'APC (Article Processing Charges) Support, Exemptions, and Discounts' Contact information
Q4-3. I would like to see documents from previous OA publication information sessions.
A4-3. It is posted here.
[May 21, 2025] Materials [Japanese]
[December 19, 2024] Materials [Japanese]
[May 15, 2024] Materials [Japanese]
[March 13, 2024] Materials [Japanese]
Q4-4. Will an information session regarding OA article publication support be held in the future?
A4-4. Information sessions will be held from time to time with the latest information.
The latest session: [December 16, 2025] 「学術論文等の即時オープンアクセス義務化と附属図書館による支援」説明会 [Japanese]
Q4-5. Does the university specify the license (CC license) to be applied to the article?
A4-5. There are no license instructions from the university.
In light of the purpose of open access, CC BY 4.0 is considered preferable, but since CC licenses (Creative Commons licenses) such as CC BY 4.0 cannot be revoked once selected, please consult with your co-authors and select another license if you would like to impose restrictions on the reuse of articles, figures, tables, etc.
Reference: "研究ブーストセミナー「Open Scienceの歩き方」第5回「学術論文と研究データにまつわる権利―著作権とCCライセンス―」"[Japanese]