Article Publication Charges

When a research article is submitted to a peer reviewed commercially published academic journal for publication, there is normally no cost to the author(s) of the research, beyond the time taken to engage with the peer review process and the publisher. All of the costs are borne by the publisher and passed onto those who require to read the research; this is done by way of a paid subscription, which is paid by an individual subscriber or by an institution/organisation, such as Tusla or a University Library.

When a research article is submitted to a journal which facilitates Open Access publishing, what is known as an ARTICLE PUBLICATION CHARGE (or an APC) is levied to cover all the costs involved in the publication process. What this means is these costs have been transferred from the publisher to the authors, so that access to the reader of the research is free and immediate.

When APC’s have to be paid and the amount varies depending both on the publisher and the journal title in question.

However, this does not mean that the author(s) have to automatically reach for their debit cards or cheque books. As both the profile and awareness of Open Access publishing increasingly grows, so have a variety of means with which these charges can be paid. For example,

If the AUTHORS of the research paper intend to publish through an Open Access journal, the option can sometimes be there to pay such fees out of grant funds; there can be discounts for certain countries and in some circumstances APC waivers.

Many FUNDERS of research provide dedicated funds for open access publishing or make it part of general funding

Some INSTITUTIONS (not Tusla at this stage – mainly academic and research institutions) can cover costs centrally with open access funds and/or payment arrangements with publishers. Library web pages will contain details of where deals have been struck with publishers to allow this.

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES can also sometimes provide dedicated funds for open access publishing.

When publishing via the Open Access route, it’s not just a question of funding. It’s also a question of policy, as many organisations have or move towards having an Open Access (OA) policy. Some publishers make tools available to assist with sourcing funding for the payment of APC’s, and ensuring that there is a match between your organisation/institutions OA policy as well as that of the publisher/journal in question.  One example is Wiley (some of whose journals Tusla currently subscribes to) who make available an Author Compliance Tool.

For Sources of Funding more generally, some useful sources are;

OA Publication Funds
http://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/OA_publication_funds

HRB Open Research
https://www.hrbopenresearch.org/

Wellcome Open Research
https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/

Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/

Additionally, it’s worth asking at the outset of your research, whether funds are available to support the publication of your research results via the Open Access route.