Understanding article processing charges and publishing models

The short answer

An article processing charge (APC) is a fee, paid by the author, an institution, or a funder, that makes an article openly available on publication. Whether you will face one depends on the journal’s publishing model. Subscription journals are generally funded by readers and libraries. Gold open access journals make every article free to read and may or may not charge an APC. Hybrid journals are subscription journals that offer an open access option for a fee. Diamond open access journals charge neither readers nor authors. Green open access means depositing a version of your work in a repository.

The practical task is the same whichever model you are considering: confirm, before submission, what the journal will charge, which license it uses, and whether your funder or institution has requirements or agreements that apply.

The main publishing models

Subscription

Readers or their libraries pay for access. Authors generally do not pay to publish, although some subscription journals charge other fees, such as page or color charges. Authors usually transfer copyright or grant the publisher an exclusive license.

Gold open access

Every article is free to read on publication, usually under an open license. Costs may be covered by APCs, institutional agreements, or other funding, and many fully open access journals do not charge an APC.

Hybrid open access

A subscription journal that lets authors make individual articles open access, typically by paying an APC. Articles without that payment remain behind the paywall.

Diamond (or platinum) open access

Open access with no charge to readers or authors. Costs are carried by institutions, societies, consortia, or grants. The terms diamond and platinum are often used interchangeably.

Green open access (self-archiving)

Making a version of an article available in an institutional or subject repository. The publisher’s policy sets which version may be shared (submitted, accepted, or published), when, and under what conditions; some policies impose an embargo period.

Preprint

A version of a manuscript posted publicly, usually before peer review, on a preprint server such as arXiv (external link), bioRxiv (external link), or medRxiv (external link). Journals’ preprint policies differ.

If you plan to post a preprint, check the target journal’s policy first. The ICMJE Recommendations (external link), widely used by medical journals, note that posting a preprint may influence a journal’s interest in publishing the work and ask authors to tell the journal when a preprint exists.

APCs, waivers, and institutional agreements

APCs are set by each journal or publisher and vary widely between journals and fields. They are commonly invoiced once a manuscript has been accepted rather than at submission. Whatever the amount, a trustworthy journal states it in advance. The Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (external link), produced by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME, say that author fees should be clearly stated on the journal’s website, easy to find, and presented as early in the submission process as possible.

Waivers and discounts

Many publishers offer waivers or discounts, for example for authors based in particular countries, for members of an affiliated society, or on grounds of financial need. Eligibility rules differ, and so does the point at which you must ask: some publishers require the request at submission. Read the policy before you submit rather than after acceptance.

Transformative and read-and-publish agreements

Many universities and consortia have negotiated agreements with publishers that cover or reduce APCs for their affiliated authors. OA Forward defines transformative agreements (external link) as agreements negotiated between institutions and publishers in which former subscription expenditures are repurposed to support open access publishing; arrangements of this kind are often called read-and-publish agreements. Eligibility usually depends on the corresponding author’s affiliation, the journal, and the article type, and terms differ between agreements. Your library or research office can confirm what applies to you.

Funder mandates and licenses

Many research funders require the work they fund to be openly available, and their policies may specify the route, the timing, and the license. cOAlition S, a group of research funders, introduced Plan S, whose principles call for funded research to be published in open access journals or on open access platforms, or made immediately available through open access repositories without embargo, under an open license, preferably CC BY. Funder policies are revised from time to time and differ in detail, so read your own funder’s current policy and grant conditions.

Jisc’s Open Policy Finder (external link), which consolidated the former Sherpa Romeo and Sherpa Juliet services, summarizes publishers’ open access and self-archiving policies and helps you check whether a journal complies with a funder’s open access requirements. Treat it as a cross-check: the journal’s own policy pages and your funder’s documents remain the primary sources.

Understanding Creative Commons licenses

Open access articles are usually published under a Creative Commons license (external link), which determines what others may do with your work:

• CC BY lets others distribute, remix, adapt, and build on the work in any medium or format, including commercially, provided they credit the creator. Some funders require it.
• CC BY-NC adds a noncommercial restriction, CC BY-ND does not allow adapted versions to be shared, and CC BY-SA requires adaptations to be shared under the same terms. These elements can be combined, as in CC BY-NC-ND.
• CC0 is a public domain dedication rather than a license with conditions.

Check that the license a journal offers is compatible with your funder’s requirements before you submit; it may not be possible to change it after publication.

How to check fees before you submit

1. Reach the journal through a trusted route, as described in how to verify whether a journal is currently indexed, so that you are reading the genuine website.
2. Find the fees page in the journal’s author guidelines or open access information. Note the amount, the currency, whether tax applies, and which article types it covers.
3. Look for any other charges, such as submission, page, color, or supplementary-material fees.
4. Read the waiver and discount policy, including when and how to apply.
5. Ask your library or research office whether an institutional agreement covers the journal.
6. Check your funder’s policy on acceptable routes, licenses, and whether publication costs are eligible grant expenses.
7. Confirm the license, the copyright terms, and the self-archiving policy, using Open Policy Finder as a cross-check.

Warning signs around fees

Most journals that charge APCs are open about them. Be cautious when you see:

• fees that are not stated on the website, or that first appear in an acceptance email;
• an invoice that differs from the published fee without explanation, or new charges added late in the process;
• pressure to pay immediately, discounts that expire within hours, or acceptance that seems to depend on quick payment;
• payment requested to a personal account or through an unusual channel rather than the publisher’s official system;
• promises of guaranteed acceptance or unusually fast publication in exchange for a fee;
• unsolicited invitations to submit that give few verifiable details about the journal, its publisher, or its peer review.

Choosing a route that fits your situation

No single model is right for every manuscript. A diamond journal may suit a project without publication funds. A gold or hybrid journal covered by your institution’s agreement may cost you nothing directly. A subscription journal combined with green self-archiving may satisfy some funders but not others. Start from your obligations to your funder, institution, and co-authors, then compare journals on scope, peer review, and fit as well as cost.

Fees are a practical criterion, not a measure of quality in either direction: a high APC does not signal a better journal, and a free one is not automatically a weaker one. For the wider set of selection criteria, see how to choose a journal beyond its impact factor. If you need to weigh costs alongside fit and timelines, journal selection support covers these questions.