FAQ's
1. Who is eligible to apply for APC funding?
APC funding is only available to active academic staff of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) who are also the corresponding authors of the article.
2. Which journals are eligible for APC funding support?
Only articles published in Q1 or Q2 journals (SCIE or SSCI or AHCI) under Springer Nature are eligible. The journal must:
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Be listed in the Journal Citation Reports (JCR), with quartile ranking based on the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) (not the JCI),
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Be published by Springer as shown in the publisher field on the JCR website, and
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Be included in the official Springer journal list, available here:
👉 https://link.springer.com/journals/a/1
3. Is there a time limit for eligible publications?
Yes. APC funding is applicable only for articles published within the current year.
4. What happens if my article was received by the publisher before 20 June 2025?
For articles received by the publisher before 20 June 2025, the 2023 JCR quartile rankings will be used for eligibility.
For example, if a journal was ranked Q1 in 2023 but is now Q2 in 2024, it will still be considered Q1 for applications involving pre-20 June 2025 submissions.
5. How can I check if my journal is in Q1 or Q2?
You can check the quartile ranking (Q1/Q2) of your target journal by visiting the Journal Citation Reports (JCR):
👉 https://jcr.clarivate.com/jcr/home
Make sure to refer to the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) and the current year’s ranking unless the article was received by the publisher before 20 June 2025.
6. When can I apply for APC funding?
You may apply once your article has been editorially accepted. Upon acceptance, the corresponding author will receive an invitation to complete the publishing agreement.
7. Is APC funding automatically granted upon meeting the criteria?
No. Approval is subject to review of all eligibility criteria and is dependent on the availability of tokens provided by Springer Nature. Funding is not guaranteed.
8. Where can I find more information or apply for APC funding?
Detailed information and the application procedure are available at the USM Library APC portal:
👉 https://lib.usm.my/apc
