TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview
Authors are required to use the Sage Open Access Portal to complete the following steps:
- Accept the APC (if applicable) / Choose Open Access
- Sign the Open Access license
- Nominate a payer (if applicable)
- Raise an invoice (if applicable)
- Complete APC payment (if applicable)
How do I nominate a bill payer in the Sage Open Access Portal?
When nominating a bill payer, authors may have 3 options to choose from. Please note, all 3 options might not be available to all authors.
- A predetermined funding agency or institution (only available to some authors)
- Choose a different bill payer
- Yourself ('I am the bill payer')
1. A predetermined funding agency or institution
If you have a predetermined funding agency or institution listed as a possible bill payer and you select this route, they will be notified by email. If they approve to pay your APC, you will be receive an email and no further action is required as the funding agency or institution will complete the payment steps.
If the institution declines to pay the APC, you will be notified via email and will need to log on to the Sage Open Access Portal to either nominate an alternative bill payer or select yourself as the bill payer and complete the payment steps as outlined below.
2. Choose a different bill payer
If you choose to nominate a different bill payer, you will be asked to enter their name and email address. This individual/institution will then receive an email from Sage Open Access titled ‘You have been nominated as bill payer 10.XXXX/XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX’ which invites them to review the APC request. Authors are also copied on these emails.
If your nominated bill payer approves, you will be notified via email and no further action is required as the nominated bill payer will complete the payment steps.
If your nominated bill payer declines, you will be notified via email by the Sage Open Access Portal. If the bill payer included their reason for declining, the authors will be able to see this. You will need to sign into the Sage Open Access Portal again to either nominate an alternative bill payer or select yourself as the bill payer and complete the payment steps as outlined above. 
The Sage Open Access Portal gives nominated bill payers 5 days to respond to bill payer invitation requests. After this period, if no response is received, authors are asked to assign a new bill payer. If you need to reassign the same bill payer after the initial invitation has timed out, please contact our Sage Open Access Customer Services team at openaccess@sagepub.com
3. Yourself ('I am the bill payer')
If you select yourself as bill payer, you will be taken through to confirm your billing details, preview the invoice and complete payment. After these steps, you will receive a confirmation email and we will proceed to publish your article Open Access.
Contact Information
If you require further assistance, please contact the Open Access Customer Services team at openaccess@sagepub.com