General Questions
Do I have to wait until the article is accepted by the publisher before I can apply for the publication fund?
No. Applications can be submitted at any time, even if the article will not be published.
Can I submit an application if the article has already published?
Yes, but only in the same calendar year in which the invoice was issued. If the payment of the publication fees was made in the previous calendar year, unfortunately we can no longer refund the costs.
How long does it take to check my application?
You will receive a response within two working days via email.
Questions regarding Funding Requirements
Does the journal in which I want to publish have to be listed in DOAJ?
No, but in DOAJ you can see all relevant information (article processing charge, type of review, links to the homepage etc.) on the selected OA journal. However, there are also eligible journals that are not listed in the DOAJ. As soon as your application has been received, we will check the eligibility requirements.
Does it have to be a CC-BY license?
No, other CC licenses are also permitted. For an open access publication without a CC license we have to check the terms of use.
Why are publications in hybrid journals not funded?
Publishing in hybrid journals is excluded from DFG supported funds. It is intended to prevent the so-called Double-Dipping of publishers. Only particular articles are free accessible in hybrid journals. Publishers earn money through the subscription of a journal e.g. paid by a library and additionally, via Article Processing Charges (APC) paid by the author or their institution.
How can I identify a hybrid journal?
If Open Access is one of several options, i.e. if the article could be published without Open Access, it is probably a hybrid journal.
What happens if APCs exceed EUR 2,000?
We can provide you a letter that enables you to negotiate with the publisher. Please contact us: openaccess(at)tu-braunschweig.de
Questions regarding Payment and Invoicing
Central invoice payment at MDPI Publishers
MDPI Publishers allows you to choose centralized invoicing during the submission of an article. The invoice will be sent directly to the University Library.
How do I know if the VAT is already included?
On foreign invoices and on websites of publishers, VAT is usually not included in the final amount. In such cases, an additional 19% tax must be taken into account. Therefore, the net amount should not exceed 1,680 EUR.
What should the invoice address look like when paying directly? Does TU Braunschweig have to be listed first on the invoice?
TU Braunschweig needs to be listed first on the invoice and persons or institutes have to be named below TU Braunschweig (see example below). Different invoices are not accepted by the central invoice office.
TU Braunschweig
Name of institute/department
John Doe
Sample street no xx
381xx Braunschweig
What is the VAT ID of TU Braunschweig?
The VAT ID is: DE 152330858.
What do I have to pay attention to when I make a private advance payment?
The University Library will reimburse the costs only to the institute. We do not refund to private accounts. In this case please contact your institute.
The invoice has already been paid by the institute. How does the refund work?
Please use the "Umbuchungsanordnung zwischen zwei Einrichtungen" (provided in the "Infoportal"). The upper part needs to be filled in and signed by the institute (hints). In addition, the University Library requires the "SAP Belegjournal" of the booking and a copy of the publisher's invoice. Please send the "Umbuchungsanordnung" via internal mail to "Universitätsbibliothek - Publikationsfonds". SAP Belegjournal and invoice can also be sent via e-mail to openaccess(at)tu-braunschweig.de.
I received a payment reminder from the publisher. What should I do?
Please let us know by sending an e-mail to openaccess(at)tu-braunschweig.de.
What happens if there are third party funds available?
The third-party funds have to be spent first. Nevertheless, the article may not exceed 2.000 EUR incl. VAT. Reimbursement of the costs is only possible via a "Umbuchungsanordnung zwischen zwei Einrichtungen" (provided in the "Infoportal").