- What are publication fees?
With certain business models of scholarly publishing, some journal publishers charge authors a publication fee to make the article Open Access (OA). These publication fees are also known as article processing charges (APCs), and can be charged to publish in entirely-OA journals (Gold OA) or in journals that provide authors the option to make their article open (Hybrid OA). The majority of Gold OA journals do not publish these fees, but it is somewhat common amongst the large commercial journal publishers.
- How do I pay the publication fee?
Publication fees from the large commercial publishers can cost several thousand dollars. Authors who receive external research funding, such as from the Tri-Agency federal funders, may expense the fees. Certain faculties also offer some internal funding, such as the Faculty of Science's New Faculty Publication Support Fund.
- Are there alternatives?
Yes! There are many paths to Open Access, including free options. Instead of publishing in a Gold OA journal, or paying to make your article OA with a publication fee, you can choose to deposit a version of your manuscript in our institutional repository. This is known as Green OA, and allows authors to make their work open for all to read without having to pay publication fees. Most journal publishers will allow authors to deposit a pre-formatted, accepted version of their manuscript in such repositories – typically with an embargo period.
Current agreements with waivers and discounts
This table lists the currently available publication fee discounts and waivers that are available to University of Windsor authors. If you have any questions or comments on these, please do not hesitate to email us at scholarship@uwindsor.ca.| Publisher | discount | details |
|---|---|---|
| American Chemical Society | Discount: $250 USD flat discount Applies to: Hybrid OA journals | The corresponding author must be affiliated with the University of Windsor. APC discount is applied upon submission of the manuscript, when the authors must identify their institutional affiliation. |
| BioMed Central (part of Springer Nature) | Discount: 15% Applies to: All journals | The corresponding author must be affiliated with the University of Windsor. When submitting your manuscript to BMC for the first time, you will be prompted to select your affiliation for the APC discount. If you are connected to the University network, this should happen automatically. Read more on the BMC website. |
| Cambridge University Press | Discount: 100% (complete waiver) Applies to: Gold OA and Hybrid OA journals This is a transformative agreement | The corresponding author must be affiliated with the University of Windsor. Once your manuscript is accepted, you will be offered the chance to publish your article in Open Access for no charge. The waiver does not apply to: book reviews; discussions; editorials; introductions; letters; meeting reports; and, proceedings. |
| Canadian Science Publishing | Discount: 25% for all journals, and 100% for select journals | Any author must be affiliated with the University of Windsor. The APC discount is applied upon submission of the manuscript. Authors must identify their institutional affiliation in order to qualify for the discount. Corresponding authors at UWindsor will be able to publish OA articles for free in the following five journals:
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| Elsevier | Discount: 20% Applies to: Gold OA and Hybrid OA journals | The corresponding author must be affiliated with the University of Windsor. Once your manuscript has been accepted, the corresponding author will receive an email to complete the publishing process. During this stage, they will be offered the opportunity to apply the discount. Exclusions apply to Cell Press, Lancet, and some other society-owned journals. |
| Institute of Physics | Discount: 100% (complete waiver) Applies to: Gold OA and Hybrid OA journals This is a transformative agreement | The corresponding author must be affiliated with the University of Windsor. Some journals are exempted from this agreement, such as AAS (American Astronomical Society) journals and journals published by some partner societies. |
| National Academy of the Sciences | Discount: $500 USD flat discount Applies to: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | The corresponding author must be affiliated with the University of Windsor. Details are available on the PNAS website. |
| SAGE | Discount: 100% for Hybrid OA journals; 40% for Gold OA journals | The corresponding author must be affiliated with the University of Windsor. When your manuscript is accepted, you'll be notified about the APC discounts. More details are on the CRKN website. |
| Springer Open (part of Springer Nature) | Discount: 15% Applies to: Springer Open journals only | The corresponding author must be affiliated with the University of Windsor. When submitting your manuscript to BMC for the first time, you will be prompted to select your affiliation for the APC discount. If you are connected to the University network, this should happen automatically. Read more on the Springer Open website. |
| Taylor & Francis | Discount: 25% Applies to: Hybrid OA journals only (T&F calls these "Open Select" journals) | The corresponding author must be affiliated with the University of Windsor. Once your manuscript is accepted, you will be asked if you wish to publish Open Access. If you choose to do so, you will be offered a discount to apply. Details are available on the Taylor & Francis website. |
| Wiley | Discount: 100% Applies to: Hybrid OA journals only | The corresponding author must be affiliated with the University of Windsor. Once your manuscript is accepted, you will be asked if you wish to publish Open Access. If you choose to do so, the APC fee will be waived for hybrid journals. Details are available on the CRKN website. |