For Authors

The OSC provides information and support for Harvard faculty as they make decisions regarding their scholarly works.

We help faculty authors to:

• Comply with Harvard’s Open Access Policy
• Evaluate and amend licensing agreements
• Make use of alternative publishing models
• Provide broader access to their works

Get help with Harvard’s open access policies

Our Open Access Policy guidelines are designed to help authors in participating schools understand how the Open Access Policy impacts them.

Amend a publishing agreement

Publishers’ agreements concerning publication of articles often contain provisions that are inconsistent with the prior license granted to Harvard under the Open Access Policy. An author addendum, however, is a simple legal tool that can resolve the conflict.

Find a policy compliant publisher

Several publishers have formally agreed to recognize Harvard’s rights under the Open Access Policy. We are grateful to these publishers for their full support of access to Harvard faculty’s writings.

Apply for HOPE funds

Through the HOPE program, Harvard researchers can apply for funds for the reimbursement of reasonable article processing fees in eligible open-access journals for which no alternative funding is available.

Request a waiver of the policy

Harvard authors subject to the Open Access Policy may request a waiver of Harvard’s nonexclusive license on an article-by-article basis.