Open access payments and funding

Here we explain the what and why of open access payments and funding. We offer a range of options to make sure that everyone can publish open access, including institutional-level agreements, individual author charges, and discounts and waivers. We have outlined all of the details below, so you can choose to publish open access with confidence.

Institutional agreements (Read & Publish)

To make sure open access publishing is as seamless as possible, we are working hard to establish institutional-level agreements around the globe. If your institution has signed up for Read & Publish, you can publish open access in our hybrid journals for free. Find out if your institution is on our Read & Publish list.

What are article processing charges (APCs)?

Article processing charges (APCs) cover the cost of open access publishing in our journals. These will not apply if your institution has a Read & Publish agreement in place with us. They also don’t apply if you are submitting to Chemical Science – our flagship, diamond open access journal – or our new gold open access journals.

Article processing charges are not submissions fees. At the Royal Society of Chemistry, we do not charge for submitting, and you only need to pay for an APC if you are publishing gold open access, and your manuscript has been accepted for publication. Remember, the administration team who handle your payments is not involved in the peer review of your manuscript in any way.

Why do APCs exist?

If article processing charges apply to your chosen journal, you will only be asked to pay once. As mentioned, we are currently waiving APCs in several of our gold open access journals. APCs cover our publishing operations including:

• journal development
• digital development and management
• commissioning content
• peer review administration
• production of articles (copy-editing, typesetting)
• content marketing
• customer service

Everything we do is to support and champion the chemical science community. As a not-for-profit organisation, any surplus is put back into the organisation to fund outreach and development activities.

View article processing charges

Who pays for APCs?

In most cases, the funding body providing the grant for your research will pay for the article processing charge. They may have certain requirements on how and where you publish and archive your work. This might be a mandate or an expectation to publish open access, but it’s important you comply with these requirements to secure future funding. We recommend checking funders’ policies by visiting your library and funding body webpages.

Resources for funders' open access policies:

• SHERPA/JULIET database
• ROARMAP (the Registry of Open Access Repositories Mandatory Archiving Policies)

Your other options

We are here to support you and make open access possible for everyone. There are alternatives to your funding body paying for the APCs. We offer institutional agreements, such as Read & Publish, which makes open access feasible for many. You can check if your institution has signed up for Read & Publish  – and, if so, you can publish gold open access for free and gain unlimited access to our entire journal library.

We have also outlined information on waivers and discounts below.

Can I get a waiver or discount?

If you are based in a country classified as Group A or Group B by Research4Life, and you are the corresponding author, you are eligible to receive a full APC waiver in our gold open access journals. And if your manuscript is accepted for publication, the APCs will be automatically waived under the Research4Life scheme.

Alternatively, if you do not fall into Group A or Group B, and you don’t have funding to pay for the APCs, you may apply for a discount or waiver on acceptance. These requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis. You might also be asked to supply details of your country of residence, as well as those of your co-authors’, and the location the research was conducted in, as well as supporting documentation to show you have no access to institutional funds to cover the APC.

You can be reassured that the open access payment process is handled by a team that is not involved in the peer review process. This is to ensure complete independence from editorial decisions. Lastly, information on how the publication charge is covered will always be kept confidential.

Am I eligible for a discount as an RSC member?

Corresponding authors who are members of the Royal Society of Chemistry are eligible for a 15% discount on APCs. To claim the discount, please include your membership number in the online application form when requested to do so.

Find out how to become a member