Open Access: Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the regulation aimed at?

The regulations are aimed at all recipients of funding from the F.R.S.-FNRS and its associated Funds, i.e., scholarship holders and permanent representatives of the Fund, as well as (co-)promoters of research programs.

In which scientific journals can you publish your research in open access according to the provisions of the F.R.S.-FNRS and its Associated Funds?

Researchers have the freedom to publish in the scientific journals of their choice. There are different open access publication methods, including the diamond model, which the F.R.S.-FNRS encourages and supports.

Recipients of F.R.S.-FNRS funding can also consult the site Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) which lists journals Open Access (OA) quality.   

Which publications are affected by the regulation?

Article 3 of the regulation specifies that it applies to “ any peer-reviewed publication and any scientific participation in conferences, seminars or congresses, including presentation of posters having been the subject of a scientific publication in any form whatsoever, when these results have been generated partially or entirely by the financing of said funds within the framework of research mandates and credits.  »

How to carry out digital self-archiving in an Institutional Repository (DI)?

Researchers in each institution of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation have an institutional electronic database in which they are required to deposit their publications and make them accessible, to the extent that publishing contracts authorize it. The results of research financed partially or entirely by the F.R.S.-FNRS or associated funds (see Article 3 of the regulations), must be made available in the DI according to the following terms:

• Concerning scientific articles published in a periodical appearing at least once a year, access to electronic versions must be immediately made free. If the publisher requires it, this access takes place upon the expiration of an embargo running from the date of the 1 ^era publication, and not exceeding 6 months in the field of science, technology, medicine and 12 months in the field of human and social sciences.
• The submission of other types of publications (e.g., monographs, collective works, conference proceedings) is not obligatory, but is strongly encouraged.

In what format and in what version must publications be deposited in institutional repositories according to the provisions of the regulation?

The deposit concerns the copy in PDF format of the full text in the final “author” version accepted for publication, or the final “publisher” version subject to the authorization of the publisher.

Does digital self-archiving pay?

Depositing publications in the Institutional Repositories (DI) of the institutions of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation is free.

What are the benefits of self-archiving?

Submitting your publications online allows the researcher to disseminate and promote the results of their research more quickly and improves direct access to the publications of their peers.

Furthermore, only the lists of publications generated from Institutional Deposits (DI), and the full text of which is available in open access concerning scientific articles, will be taken into consideration by the F.R.S.-FNRS and its associated Funds in terms of evaluation, nomination, promotion and allocation of mandates and research credits. This measure applies to researchers who have worked at a university in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation for at least 2 years. It is therefore essential for the researchers concerned to keep their list of publications up to date via the DI.

What to do if the publisher does not authorize the deposit?

The policy of support for the principle of open access by publishers varies depending on the scientific periodicals. Researchers can consult the site SHERPA-ROMEO which lists the different publishers' policies regarding open access for scientific journals (search by periodical title or ISSN).

This being said, the provisions of the decree Open Access of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, supplemented by the federal law on copyright, prevail over any other provision formulated by a publisher concerning scientific articles published in a periodical appearing at least once a year, concerning research financed in whole or in part by the F.R.S.-FNRS and its Associated Funds. In this case, the author of the article retains, even if he or she has assigned his or her rights to a publisher exclusively or not or has placed them under a simple or exclusive license, the imperative right to make the manuscript freely available to the public with open access after a period of 6 months (sciences, techniques, medicine) or 12 months (human and social sciences) after the first publication, subject to mention of the source of the first publication.

Will a publication in an open access scientific journal via the “Gold” model be taken into consideration by the F.R.S.-FNRS?

Yes, as long as this publication has been deposited in the institutional repository of an institution of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Furthermore, the F.R.S.-FNRS encourages researchers to publish in open access scientific journals of recognized scientific quality.

How much is the financial contribution of the F.R.S.-FNRS to publish in an open access scientific journal via the “Gold” model?

The F.R.S.-FNRS and its associated Funds authorize their recipients to charge direct open access publication costs to the budget granted within the framework of research mandates and credits, up to €2,000 per publication (scientific article, book chapter) and €5,000 per work. Authors are invited to consult the section relating to eligible publication costs in Open Access in the practical guide to fees.

Under what conditions can we benefit from this coverage of publication costs?

The F.R.S.-FNRS encourages researchers to publish in open access scientific journals of recognized scientific quality. However, it should be noted that publication fees in transformative and hybrid journals (part of the catalog of which is restricted access) are not eligible.

What should I do if the costs of publishing my article or work in open access exceed the maximum cost that can be charged to the budget granted by the F.R.S.-FNRS as part of my mandate or research project?

In the paid model of Gold Open Access , the F.R.S.-FNRS limits its financial intervention in order to combat price inflation in the scientific publishing sector. Indeed, today there is a lack of transparency around shipping costs. Processing Loads . The F.R.S.-FNRS recommends vigilance regarding these fees, particularly when they are high.  As far as possible, the F.R.S.-FNRS recommends that recipients of funding request a detailed quote from publishers in order to have precise information on the services and the associated cost within the framework of these costs. Processing Loads . The costs of Processing Loads should be proportional to the services provided and the structure of these fees in the quote should be clear and transparent. 

In any case, it should be noted that the maximum eligible costs are set by the regulation and cannot be exceeded. Researchers will have to seek an additional source of funding in order to finance their publication if the costs of open access publication prove to be higher than the financial intervention of the F.R.S.-FNRS.

For any further questions, please contact us at open-science@frs-fnrs.be and we will respond to you as soon as possible.