Updated: May 25, ２０２３
FAQs about AY2023 Research Incentive Expense of Open Access Publication
Q1. Is the case of hybrid OA publication (with an embargo period) applicable forthe support?
A1. Yes.
Q2. Until when can I use the allocated research incentive expense?
A2. Until the end of the next academic year of the allocation. Any amount remaining
after the deadline will be returned to the university.
Q3. Is it possible to apply on the basis of past OA publications?
A3. We accept applications within three months of the publication date. For thisacademic year (AY2023) only, we are separately accepting applications basedon publications within the following period: From January 1, 2022 to February
28, 2023.
Q4. Is it possible to apply based on publications in a different academic year, e.g.
apply in April based on a publication in March?
A4. Yes. We accept applications even across different academic years as long as
they are submitted within three months of the publication date.
Q5. In the case of a publication at the end of an academic year, if the supporting
budget for that academic year has not been left, is it possible to apply at thebeginning of the next academic year?
A5. Yes. You can apply in the next academic year as long as it is within three monthsof the publication date.
Q6. Is it possible to get any support for publishing in OA journals that are free ofcharge?
A6. No, because the supporting amount is calculated based on the amount of APC
actually paid.
Q7. How to know if a journal is ranked TOP5%/TOP10% or not?
A7. We confirm this by referring to the latest public Cite Score. You can check this1

in databases like Scopus.
https://www.scopus.com/sources.uri?zone=TopNavBar&origin=searchbasic
Q8. I want to decide to make my article open access after I have confirmed that I
can get the support. Is it possible to apply for the support at the time ofacceptance by the journal and ask the publisher to make the article open accessafter I receive a confirmation of the support?
A8. Please apply via the application form in the premise that the article will be madeopen access. In the items that have not yet been decided, such as “Publication
date of the OA journal” and “Identifying information (URL, DOI, etc.)”, please
put comments such as “tbd, because the article has just been accepted”. In theitems “Name of the budget to pay the APC” and “Amount of the APC”, please
put information of the plan. Information of these items should be informed after
they are fixed. In addition, after submitting the form, please send us a proof
material, such as an acceptance letter from the publisher, to confirm theacceptance of the article publication.
In this case, the Research Incentive Expense will be distributed to you after wecan confirm the publication of the article in the OA journal and the payment ofthe APC.
Q９. The requirement of the application is that the applicant is a full-time faculty
member of the university and is the first author or responsible author of thearticle. However, some research disciplines and journals (such as “kilo-author”papers) stipulate that the order of authors should be alphabetical. In such acase (where there is no specific meaning in the order of authors), how to tell“first author” or “responsible author”?
A９. In the case that research disciplines or journals require the order of authors tobe alphabetical, etc., please select “Other” in the “6 Your role as an author” of
the application form, and give a brief reason. If the application meets otherconditions and the payment of APC by the applicant is confirmed, we will decideon the support.
Q10. How do you determine the Japanese yen amount of the Research Incentive
Expense if the APC was paid in a foreign currency?
A10. Based on the information on the application form, we refer to the department
in charge of paying the APC to confirm the actual amount paid in Japanese yen.
2If the amount exceeds the funding limit (500 thousand yen or 250 thousandyen), the research incentive expense will be the upper amount, and if the actual
amount paid is less than the funding limit, the research incentive expense willbe the amount paid, omitting the fractions less than one thousand yen.
(Added on May 25, 2023)
Q11. Can I receive more than 2 times of support if I manage to publish several
articles in high-impact open access journals?
A11. We support each researcher up to once per academic year due to limited
budget and in order to support as many researchers as possible.
(Added on May 25, 2023)
Q12. The announcement says “This academic year only, we will support separately
the articles posted on OA journals during the period stated below,” and alsosays “A researcher can apply for the grant once per academic year.” Can I
receive, in this AY2023, a support for a publication in AY2023 plus anothersupport for a publication in AY2022?
A12. Yes. For AY2023 only, we will provide additional support for publications inAY2022.
(Added on May 25, 2023)
Q13. The application requirements include that the applicant should be “a full-time
faculty member of the university as first or responsible author”. If both firstauthor and corresponding author of an article are full-time faculty members at
the university, can either of these authors apply?
A13. Both of these authors are eligible to apply, but we accept only one application(by first author OR corresponding author) per article. If there is more than one
faculty member per article who is eligible for this support, please talk among
the members before applying.

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