Article Processing Charge Support
Some Open Access journals charge article processing charges (APCs), with authors required to pay a fee to cover publishing costs.
Wherever possible, the UofA Library negotiates license agreements with publishers who will provide UofA authors with free OA publishing or discounts on APCs, as part of our ongoing subscriptions. The following list includes all of the publishers who currently provide APC-free or APC-discounted publishing for UofA authors.
More questions about APCs? You can Ask Us.
PLEASE NOTE: The fee waivers and discounts listed below apply only to Open Access Article Processing Charges. Any additional publisher charges must be paid by the author.
Open Access Links
APC-Free Publishing
| Publisher | Eligibility | Exceptions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biochemical Society | UofA corresponding authors | Applies only to the five journals* subscribed by UAL | * Journals that qualify for APC-free OA publishing: Biochemical Journal, Biochemical Society Transactions,Clinical Science, Essays in Biochemistry, and Emerging Topics in Life Sciences |
| Canadian Science Publishing | UofA corresponding authors | Applies only to five specific journals*. Authors receive a 25% discount on APCs for the remaining 18 CSP journals | * Journals that qualify for APC-free OA publishing: Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Canadian Journal of Physics, Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, Genome, and Transactions of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering |
| Cambridge University Press (CUP) | UofA corresponding authors | Applies only to qualifying article types* in Hybrid OA and Gold OA journals | * Article types that qualify for APC-free OA publishing: Research Articles, Review Articles, Rapid Communications, Brief Reports, and Case Reports |
| Company of Biologists | UofA corresponding authors | Includes all Company of Biologists journals | |
| Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) | UofA corresponding authors | All IMechE journals are hosted on the SAGE platform. See the SAGE Open Access document for instructions | |
| Institute of Physics (IOP) | UofA corresponding authors | Some journals* are excluded | *List of IOP journals |
| John Benjamins | UofA corresponding authors | Includes all John Benjamins journals | |
| Microbiology Society | UofA corresponding authors | Includes all Microbiology Society journals | |
| PLoS | UofA corresponding authors | Includes all PLOS journals. Watch this PLOS video for information on how authors self-identify with the institution at the time of submission or read the Author FAQs. | |
| Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) | UofA corresponding authors | All RSM journals are hosted on the SAGE platform. See the SAGE Open Access document for instructions | |
| SAGE | UofA corresponding authors | Some Hybrid OA journals are excluded*. Authors receive a 40% APC discount for Gold OA journals** | See the SAGE Open Access document for instructions. * List of excluded journals ** List of Gold OA journals |
| Wiley Online Library | UofA corresponding authors | Applies to Hybrid OA journals only*. Gold OA journals are excluded. | Wiley OA publishing instructions here. *List of Hybrid OA journals eligible for APC-free publishing |
APC Discounts
| Publisher | Eligibility | Exceptions | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | A discount of 15% on APCs for UofA corresponding authors in the journal Science Advances | AAAS members receive an additional discount of 4% in Science Advances. | |
| American Chemical Society (ACS) | A discount of $250 USD on APCs for UofA corresponding authors for all ACS journals | This discount can be used in conjunction with personal ACS membership discounts | |
| Elsevier | A discount of 20% on APCs for UofA corresponding authors on APCs for Hybrid and Gold OA journals* | Cell Press, Lancet, and some other society-owned journals are excluded | Elsevier APC price list |
| MDPI | A discount of 10% on APCs for all UofA authors | This discount may be claimed by an individual who is NOT the corresponding author. All researchers affiliated with the University of Alberta* qualify for this discount | *Includes staff, undergraduate and postgraduate students, lecturers, current and emeritus professors, and those on temporary or permanent research contracts.Those with a temporary status (e.g. visiting researchers) also qualify as affiliated authors if the research in the manuscript was partially or wholly conducted at UofA, and the author submits the manuscript with a valid @ualberta.ca email address. NOTE: Only one MDPI APC discount is permitted per paper and cannot be combined with other available discounts |
| Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) | A discount of 15% for UofA corresponding authors on APCs in Hybrid OA journals | Gold OA journals are excluded | Lists of Gold OA journals (excluded from discount) and Hybrid OA journals (eligible for discount) |
| Taylor & Francis | A discount of 25% for UofA corresponding authors on APCs* | Discount applies only to Open Select journals | List of Open Select journals |