KIT supports Open Access publications of its researchers by covering publication fees ("Article Processing Charges," APCs) in genuine Open Access journals (Gold Open Access). All publications funded by the KIT Publication Fund are also made available by KIT Library in the KITopen Repository.

The costs of APCs can often be covered by third-party funding—such as from the DFG, the EU, or other funding programs. Please explore this option in advance and apply for the corresponding funds in your project proposal. If such third-party funding is not available, the KIT Publication Fund can provide the necessary funding.

APCs are generally charged for publication in genuine Open Access journals. Unlike the conventional journal subscription model, these publication fees must be paid by the authors or their institutions.

To support Open Access publishing, KIT covers the publication fees through the KIT Publication Fund, provided the funding requirements are met. In addition, KIT Library has entered into framework agreements with various publishers to pass on discounted rates for publication fees to authors.

The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) lists not only quality-assured Gold Open Access journals but also Diamond Open Access journals. Diamond Open Access journals do not charge fees to either authors or readers. They are funded through membership dues, donations, or similar sources.

Publication fees for Hybrid Open Access journals represent a special case. These are not genuine Open Access journals (Gold Open Access), but rather subscription journals that allow authors to make their own papers freely accessible retroactively by paying a fee. The KIT Publication Fund generally does not cover the costs for Hybrid Open Access papers. However, if a “Publish and Read” framework agreement exists between KIT Library and the respective publisher, the library covers the corresponding publication fees. In this case, funding is handled directly through the “Publish and Read” framework agreement or the library, not through the KIT Publication Fund.

Submit your publication to the Gold Open Access journal of your choice and apply for funding through the KIT Publication Fund. A helpful resource for finding eligible journals is the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

After review by the Publication Fund team, you will receive confirmation of cost coverage, if applicable, and further information. If you have any questions about the KIT Publication Fund, please contact the KIT Publication Fund team.

If the following criteria are met, publication fees will be covered by the KIT Publication Fund:

• The corresponding author is a KIT employee and has an email address with the @kit.edu domain.
• The paper is published in a journal whose articles are fully and immediately accessible to users via the Internet at no cost upon publication (“genuine Open Access journal,” Gold Open Access journal).
• The paper may be made freely available in the version published by the publisher on an institutional repository immediately upon publication (without an embargo period).
• The paper is published under a Creative Commons license (CC license, ideally CC BY). The publisher does not charge an additional fee for CC licensing. In accordance with the German Research Foundation (DFG), KIT Library recommends the CC BY or CC BY-SA licenses. Under this license, only non-exclusive rights of use are transferred to the publisher, and the authors can continue to exercise all copyright and usage rights freely and without restriction—including the granting of non-exclusive rights of use to third parties. Other types of licenses may result in the transfer of exclusive rights of use to the publisher and a corresponding loss of rights for the authors.
• The journal applies the quality assurance procedures (peer review) recognized in the respective field. An overview of relevant journals is listed in the DOAJ.

The following are not funded by the KIT Publication Fund:

• Articles that can be made freely accessible for an additional fee in parallel with publication in a subscription-based journal, so-called "hybrid journals". In such cases, funding may be possible through “Publish and Read” agreements. 
• Papers subject to an embargo period.
• Publication fees that can be covered by third-party funded projects.
• Additional costs such as page charges, color charges, cover charges, etc., are not funded by KIT Library but must be borne by the authors themselves. KIT Library also handles the invoicing for these additional costs.