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Get Started

Please note: Due to current staffing capacity, we are not considering new proposals at this time, but inquiries are always welcome!

Eligibility

  • Any University of Oklahoma faculty member is eligible to apply for Publishing Services support for a new or existing journal
  • Faculty members can apply individually with the support from their college, and with the support of a sponsoring organization, if applicable
  • All content published by OU Libraries must be openly available to view and read, at minimum
  • Journals must commit to ensuring that all authors retain copyright for their submissions
  • The journal's editorial team or board must include at least one OU affiliate at all times to remain an active publishing partner with OU Libraries
  • We do not support student journals on the Open Journal Systems platform at this time.

Applying

Faculty interested in setting up an open access journal through OU Libraries can contact us and we will set up an initial meeting to discuss your goals and how we can help you get started.

From there, you will be required to complete a journal proposal, which you can directly download, fill out, and submit to the email address listed on the form. You can expect to hear back from us within two weeks with preliminary feedback. Applicants will be asked to provide the following information about their publication when applying:

  • Title of publication
  • Type of publication (e.g. journal, conference proceedings, etc.)
  • Content status (e.g. new content, existing content in need of migration, etc.)
    • Links and names of current publisher and copyright holder(s) if migrating existing content
  • Content types included in the publication (e.g. text, images, audio, video, etc.)
  • Formally affiliated society/organization (if any)
  • Scope or area of focus
  • Expected publication schedule/frequency
  • Potential audience and impact

Journal proposals will be reviewed by the OU Libraries Publishing Services team with a particular emphasis on the following factors:

  • Clear demonstration of the journal's anticipated sustainability
  • Commitment to publishing regularly
  • Current capacity of library staff

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

If your journal is accepted for publication, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) must be signed by the Dean of OU Libraries and the Dean of the journal Editor's college. The MOU outlines OU Libraries' expectations of the journal, along with services and commitments the journal can expect from OU Libraries. A sample version of our MOU can be downloaded here. Feel free to contact us at any time during the process if you have unanswered questions.

Turnover among journal staff is common and expected. To help ensure clarity and transparency of agreed services and commitments, incoming journal Editors will be required to review the countersigned MOU at the start of their term as journal Editor.