The Harvard Library Open Journals Program provides Harvard editors with guidance, resources, and seed funding for establishing and maintaining high-quality open access journals.
We aim to advance the equitable and sustainable publication of journals at no cost to readers seeking access and at no cost to authors seeking to publish. HOJP complements Harvard Library’s additional efforts to support no-fee (or "diamond") open access publishing as part of our commitment to advancing open knowledge.
Program Models
Academic Press Model
Under the academic press model, we:
- Partner with academic presses to publish journals.
- Negotiate with the press to ensure policies align with the Core Criteria.
- Provide initial funding for up to 3 years per journal.
- Assist journals in securing long-term funding among multiple supporting institutions.
Repository Overlay Model
Under the repository overlap model, we provide infrastructure and services to support the launch and operation of journals hosted by DASH, Harvard’s open access institutional repository.
Program Criteria and Eligibility
All journals admitted to the Harvard Library Open Journals Program must adhere to the following Core Criteria. Any additional requirements will be made available during calls for applications.
- Harvard Affiliation: Journals must have a current Harvard faculty member as editor-in-chief, with exceptions to be made on a case-by-case basis.
- No Fees: Journals must agree not to charge author- or reader-side fees (e.g. no submission fees, article processing charges, or access fees).
- Licensing/Copyright: Articles must be made available under a Creative Commons license (CC BY, CC BY-NC preferred) and authors must retain copyright of their contributions.
- Journal Practices: Journals must adhere to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing and make good-faith and timely efforts to adopt principles and practices not already in place.
- DOAJ: Journals must be listed, or make good-faith and timely efforts to become listed, in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
How to Apply
Check back soon for details on how to apply.
Contact Us
If you have questions about the program, please contact Colleen Cressman, Librarian for Open Publishing and manager of HOJP, at HL_OSRDS@harvard.edu.
Supported Journals
Open Mind
Open Mind (MIT Press), a journal for high-quality research in cognitive science, has been cofunded by Harvard Library and MIT Libraries through 2027 and is additionally funded through the Lyrasis Open Access Community Investment Program.