Aid to Scholarly Journals frequently asked questions
Aid to Scholarly Journals grants offered by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) help scholarly journals explore innovative activities and defray costs associated with publishing and distribution on Canadian not-for-profit platforms. Below are answers to frequently asked questions about the funding opportunity.
How does SSHRC define “diamond open access?”
Diamond open access is the immediate online availability of research outputs, without subscription or fees charged to authors (known as article processing charges or APCs), and under an open license (e.g., Creative Commons or equivalent). For the purposes of the Aid to Scholarly Journals funding opportunity, this definition applies to peer-reviewed journal articles. Journals operating in a diamond open access model are eligible to apply. Journals operating in the Subscribe to Open model are not considered diamond open access. For the 2025 Aid to Scholarly Journals competition, established journals publishing in delayed open access (embargo of up to 12 months) or charging APCs will remain eligible; however, the funding application must include a plan to transition to diamond open access without APCs by 2028. Emerging journals publishing in delayed open access or charging APCs are not eligible to apply.
To which version of the article does the open access requirement apply?
This requirement applies to the final published version (i.e., the version of record).
How does SSHRC define “delayed open access?”
Delayed open access is when research outputs are made available after an embargo period. For the Aid to Scholarly Journals funding opportunity, this definition applies to peer-reviewed journal articles. For the 2025 Aid to Scholarly Journals competition, established journals publishing in delayed open access (embargo of up to 12 months) will remain eligible; however, the funding application must include a plan to transition to immediate open access without APCs by 2028. Emerging journals publishing in delayed open access or charging APCs are not eligible to apply.
My journal has a moving wall of 12 months. Does this meet the Aid to Scholarly Journals eligibility requirement?
A “moving wall” is another term for an embargo period, and both refer to delayed open access. For the 2025 Aid to Scholarly Journals competition, established journals with an embargo period of up to 12 months will remain eligible; however, the funding application must include a plan to transition to immediate open access without APCs by 2028. Emerging journals publishing in delayed open access or charging APCs are not eligible to apply.
My journal lets authors self-archive their articles in a repository. Does this meet the eligibility criteria for the Aid to Scholarly Journals funding opportunity?
No. This is typically called “green open access” and does not meet the eligibility requirements for Aid to Scholarly Journals funding.
Does my journal need to publish under a specific license to be eligible for the Aid to Scholarly Journals funding opportunity?
Yes. To be eligible to apply for the Aid to Scholarly Journals funding opportunity, journals must publish under an open license (Creative Commons or equivalent). For the 2025 Aid to Scholarly Journals competition, journals not publishing under an open license will remain eligible; however, the funding application must include a plan to transition to an open license by 2028. Using a Creative Commons license is encouraged, but not mandatory. Journals may choose the open license that best suits their needs. Learn more about Creative Commons license options.
Does my journal need to be indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals to meet the eligibility criteria for the Aid to Scholarly Journals funding opportunity?
DOAJ criteria represent a gold standard for open access publishing and include criteria related to type of open access, licensing, transparency, quality control, and archiving, among other criteria. To meet the eligibility criteria for the Aid to Scholarly Journals funding opportunity, journals must be either indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) or aligned with DOAJ inclusion criteria. For the 2025 Aid to Scholarly Journals competition, journals not included or aligned with DOAJ criteria will remain eligible, but their funding application must include a plan to align the journal with DOAJ inclusion criteria by 2028. Learn more about DOAJ inclusion criteria in the DOAJ Guide to applying.
Journals aligned with DOAJ criteria are encouraged to apply for inclusion in the index.
Is my journal still eligible to apply for a grant if it does not use a Canadian not-for-profit digital content and distribution platform?
Yes. Your journal is eligible to apply as long as it meets the Aid to Scholarly Journals eligibility criteria. Using a Canadian not-for-profit digital content and distribution platform is not an eligibility criterion. A digital content and distribution platform is defined as “a platform that disseminates journal content to the public”.
Can my journal sell back issues?
Yes. If the journal operates in immediate open access without APCs and meets the Aid to Scholarly Journals eligibility criteria, it can continue to sell back issues.
What can Aid to Scholarly Journals grant funds be used for under the Tri-agency Guide on Financial Administration?
Aid to Scholarly Journals grant funds must contribute to the direct costs of the journal. These include, but are not limited to: copy preparation (including copy editing and translation); document layout (including image presentation and conversion of images to digital formats); marketing and other promotional activities; fees paid for electronic publication and distribution services; digital content and distribution platform hosting; printing and mailing; and technical assistance.
Can Aid to Scholarly Journals grant funds be used to pay digital content and distribution platform hosting fees?
A digital content and distribution platform is defined as “a platform that disseminates journal content to the public”. Digital content and distribution platform hosting fees are eligible expenses, since they are direct costs of the journal.
Can Aid to Scholarly Journals grant funds be used to remunerate editors, co-editors, and/or members of editorial or review boards of my journal?
Grants funds cannot be used for salaries, stipends, or release time for editors, co-editors, and/or members of editorial or review boards who are faculty members. Funds can be used for the salaries, stipends, or related federal, provincial and institutional nondiscretionary benefits for editorial support staff (e.g., administrative staff, technicians). Funds can also be used for pertinent training of journal staff (e.g., technological training).