DFG form 51.

10 - 09/22 page 1 of 6

Guidelines
Publication Grants

Disclaimer: The English translation of this document is provided for informational purposes. In
the event of a discrepancy between the English and the German versions, the German text
takes precedence.

DFG
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Kennedyallee 40 ∙ 53175 Bonn, Germany ∙ Postal address: 53170 Bonn, Germany
Tel.: + 49 228 885-1 ∙ Fax: + 49 228 885-2777 ∙ postmaster@dfg.de ∙ www.dfg.de
DFG form 51.10 - 09/22 page 2 of 6

I Objective

Publication grants support the publication of scientific and scholarly works in print or digital
form. The DFG supports open access as this form of publishing makes the results of academic
research freely accessible, thereby promoting the exchange and transfer of knowledge. It
encourages funding recipients to make their results publicly available either via the gold open
access route (immediate OA publication) or the green open access route (publication in OA
repositories in addition to publication according to the subscription model).

II Description

Publication grants can only be awarded for

▪ works in which basic material is made available for further research (such as editions of
primary texts and manuscript material) and

▪ works of exceptional scientific importance, which constitute the first publication of

outstanding results. Funds for printing a dissertation/thesis can only be awarded in
exceptional cases; to be eligible for funding, the thesis must have received the highest
mark possible as stipulated in the respective doctoral degree regulations.

Festschriften and fee-based articles in scholarly journals are not eligible for funding.

A publication grant can be used to fund print publications as well as fee-based e-books and
open access e-books. Funding for a combination of a print and electronic publication is
possible. Publication grants are provided on the basis of cost estimates from two publishers
and an explanation of the choice of publisher. The DFG expects that current technologies such
as print-on-demand will be used when applying for print publications.

The decision not to publish via open access requires justification, as does the production of a
print edition. Publication via a fee-based e-book might be justified, for example due to the costs
of image rights, which may not be foreseeable or be disproportionately high in open access.

Funds for publishing the results of a DFG-funded project can generally only be applied for
within the scope of the grant proposal (see the Basic Module, section II.2.6 “Project-related
publication expenses”).

DFG
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Kennedyallee 40 ∙ 53175 Bonn, Germany ∙ Postal address: 53170 Bonn, Germany
Tel.: + 49 228 885-1 ∙ Fax: + 49 228 885-2777 ∙ postmaster@dfg.de ∙ www.dfg.de
DFG form 51.10 - 09/22 page 3 of 6

www.dfg.de/formulare/52_01

Please note the following exception: It is possible to apply for a separate publication grant upon
completion of a project for book publications from long-term projects or projects whose main
objectives are to collect and catalogue information or disseminate research results (e.g. literary
editions, text volumes, illustrated volumes or excavation reports). This option will be decided
upon within the first project proposal; therefore, it must be both requested and reviewed at this
stage.

III Proposal Instructions

Researchers in Germany who have completed their academic training (a doctorate as a rule)
are eligible to apply for publications grants. Grants may be used for scholarly publications in
accordance with these guidelines.

Applicants may submit an informal proposal including a statement that the publication was
not written as part of a DFG-funded project. Please give your proposal a title in German and
English (max. 300 characters each, no special characters) and briefly summarise the main
objectives of your project in German and English (max. 3,000 characters each).

We also ask you to provide the following details about yourself:

• Academic degree/title
• First name
• Last name
• Nationality
• Gender
• Date of birth
• German-speaking: yes/no
• E-mail address
• Phone number
• Address of your institution
• Correspondence address if different from above

In addition, please explain briefly how the requirements listed in section II of these guidelines
apply to you. Please submit a signed printout to the DFG Head Office.

DFG
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Kennedyallee 40 ∙ 53175 Bonn, Germany ∙ Postal address: 53170 Bonn, Germany
Tel.: + 49 228 885-1 ∙ Fax: + 49 228 885-2777 ∙ postmaster@dfg.de ∙ www.dfg.de
DFG form 51.10 - 09/22 page 4 of 6

The following costs can be requested:

▪ Publishing overhead costs: these include electronic provision costs relating to the planned
publication as well as costs incurred by making the publication available in open access.
The DFG covers 80 percent of these costs.

▪ Copyediting/proofreading costs: Financing of a service to improve the orthography, style

and, if necessary, the content of the text.

▪ Technical production costs (e. g. typesetting, printing, binding)

In the case of a purely electronic publication, please also provide information on how long-term
availability is to be ensured.

The proposal must include the following items:

▪ your academic CV; the template provided (DFG form 53.200) must be used for this
purpose,

www.dfg.de/formulare/53_200_elan

▪ the manuscript, either in finished form or for final copyediting/proofreading,

▪ detailed cost estimates by two publishers (in accordance with DFG form 11.05, available
in German only),

www.dfg.de/formulare/11_05
▪ an explanation of the choice of publisher,

▪ in the case of a Habilitationsschrift: copies of all examiners’ reports provided to the faculty.

Please submit an electronic version of your proposal on a CD ROM, preferably as a PDF file
(or RTF file) that is not password protected or restricted in any other way. The document
security settings should allow your documents to be read, copied and printed.

For supporting documents exceeding 200 pages in length, we ask that you send a hard copy
in addition to the electronic version.

DFG
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Kennedyallee 40 ∙ 53175 Bonn, Germany ∙ Postal address: 53170 Bonn, Germany
Tel.: + 49 228 885-1 ∙ Fax: + 49 228 885-2777 ∙ postmaster@dfg.de ∙ www.dfg.de
DFG form 51.10 - 09/22 page 5 of 6

IV Obligations

In submitting a proposal to the DFG, you

1. agree to adhere to the principles of good research practice.1

The principles of good scientific practice include, among others: maintaining professional
standards, maintaining strict honesty with regard to one’s own contributions and those
of third parties, documenting results and rigorously questioning all findings.

2. recognise the DFG's Rules of Procedure for Dealing with Scientific Misconduct
(Verfahrensordnung zum Umgang mit wissenschaftlichem Fehlverhalten - VerfOwF)2 as
legally binding.

Scientific misconduct is defined as the intentional and grossly negligent statement of

falsehoods in a scientific context, the violation of intellectual property rights or impeding
another person’s research work. The circumstances of each case will be considered on
an individual basis. In cases where scientific misconduct has been established, the DFG
may impose one or more of the following sanctions in accordance with its Rules of
Procedure, depending on the nature and severity of the scientific misconduct:

▪ issuing a written reprimand to those involved;

▪ exclusion from the right to apply for DFG funds for a period of one to eight years,
depending on the severity of the scientific misconduct;
▪ revoking funding decisions (full or partial termination of the grant contract,
demanding repayment of funds spent);

▪ demanding that those concerned either retract the discredited publications or correct
the falsified data (in particular by publishing an erratum), or appropriately indicate
the DFG’s retraction of funding in the discredited publications;

1 The principles of good scientific practice can be found in detail in the DFG Code of Conduct - Guidelines for
Safeguarding Good Research Practice and in the Funding Guidelines: General Terms and Conditions of DFG
Grants (DFG form 2.00).
2 DFG Rules of Procedure for Dealing with Scientific Misconduct, DFG form 80.01

DFG
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Kennedyallee 40 ∙ 53175 Bonn, Germany ∙ Postal address: 53170 Bonn, Germany
Tel.: + 49 228 885-1 ∙ Fax: + 49 228 885-2777 ∙ postmaster@dfg.de ∙ www.dfg.de
DFG form 51.10 - 09/22 page 6 of 6

▪ exclusion from serving as a reviewer for a period of one to eight years, depending
on the severity of the scientific misconduct;

▪ exclusion from membership in DFG bodies and committees for a period of one to
eight years, depending on the severity of the scientific misconduct;

▪ denying voting rights and eligibility in elections for DFG bodies and committees for
a period of one to eight years, depending on the severity of the scientific misconduct.

By accepting funding, the recipient agrees to:

3. use the grant exclusively and in a targeted manner to realise the funded project. The use
and accounting of funds must conform to the relevant regulations of the DFG.

4. submit progress reports on the research according to the dates specified in the award
letter and to present financial accounts to the DFG detailing the use of funds.

The DFG expects that the findings of the projects it funds be made available to the public.

V Data Protection

Please note the DFG’s data protection notice on research funding, which can be viewed and
downloaded at www.dfg.de/privacy_policy. If necessary, please also forward this information
to those individuals whose data will be processed by the DFG due to their involvement in your
project.
www.dfg.de/privacy_policy

DFG
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Kennedyallee 40 ∙ 53175 Bonn, Germany ∙ Postal address: 53170 Bonn, Germany
Tel.: + 49 228 885-1 ∙ Fax: + 49 228 885-2777 ∙ postmaster@dfg.de ∙ www.dfg.de