Conference Paper and Proceedings

There is currently no specific open access funding scheme for conference papers and proceedings at ETH Zurich. However, open access is still possible for these two publication types.

Instructions on how to publish your conference paper open access can be found in the presentation Two ways of publishing conference papers Open Access from March 2025.

Conference papers supported by ETH Library

Individual read-and-publish agreements with publishers include conference papers in whole or in part, whereby the ETH Library covers the publication costs or special provisions apply to the self-archiving of conference papers in the Research Collection (for self-archivig see below).

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

Publication costs for conference papers in ACM proceedings are part of the publishing agreement with ACM and are financed by the ETH Library. This does not include papers in proceedings published by ACM in cooperation with other publishers (overview). You can find more information about our agreements at this link.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

ETH members do not pay any publication fees for open access papers in ASME Conference Proceedings. You can find more information about our agreements at this link.

Trans Tech Publications (TTP)

Publication costs for conference papers in one of the following proceedings series: Advances in Science and Technology, Constructions Technologies and Architecture and Engineering Headway are part of the publishing agreement with TTP and are financed by the ETH Library.

Procedure for Conference Papers with SNSF grants

If the conference paper was written as part of an SNSF project and the publisher offers an open access option, the publication costs can be claimed directly from the SNSF. Conference papers are treated by the SNSF as equivalent to book chapters (Regulations on funding for open access publications, page 3, paragraph 3, section 3). At least 50% of the research on which the paper is based must have been carried out as part of the SNSF project, and at least one person per publication must have received SNSF funding. In addition, the SNSF only pays for papers that have undergone peer review. Applications for funding for open access conference papers must be submitted via the mySNF platform under the heading Scientific Communication - Open Access Book Chapters; applications may also be submitted after the project phase has been completed. A useful overview of SNF funding for book chapters can be found here.

Self-Archiving using the Research Collection

If you publish your conference paper in proceedings whose content is only accessible behind a paywall (closed access), you can use the Research Collection to self-archive your paper (see Research Collection Manual), provided that the publisher/editor allows this option under copyright law. Standard publisher's policies can be found in the database Open Policy Finder. Alternatively, author rights for self-archiving can also be clarified directly with the publisher or editorial board.

If you are involved in the edition of proceedings that will be published by a publisher, it is worth securing a self-archiving right clause in the copyright transfer agreement.

In both cases, it is important to specify which version of the manuscript the self-archiving right refers to (publisher's version or author's accepted manuscript) and under which license the manuscript may be deposited in the Research Collection or another repository.

Two examples of publisher's policies on conference papers can be found here:

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

Authors of conference papers in proceedings published by IEEE may publish their Author's Accepted Manuscripts (AAM) at any time in an institutional repository such as the Research Collection in copyright without embargo (see IEEE Publishing Policy).

Springer Nature

Authors of conference papers in proceedings published by Springer may publish their Author's Accepted Manuscripts (AAM) in an institutional repository such as the Research Collection under copyright with a 12-month embargo (see Springer Nature Publishing Policy).