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Open Access : Journals that Offer Discounts or Waivers for Article Processing Charges (APCs)

Journals that Offer Discounts or Waivers for Article Processing Charges (APCs)

The Washington University Open Access Resolution, passed in 2011, encourages faculty to make their journal articles freely and easily available to the world community. Publishing under an Open Access license is one way to promote accessibility. To help support faculty authors, Washington University Libraries and Becker Medical Library have memberships or agreements with publishers and select journal titles that provide a discount or a waiver of article processing charges (APCs) for open access publications. The Libraries also participate in Subscribe to Open (S2O) initiatives that rely on current subscription funding and infrastructure to make journals free to read and share as well as to publish in with a waiver of APCs for authors. Other discounts are available for authors with personal memberships to organizations. Faculty authors who are members of organizations that publish journals should check with the journal to confirm discounts or waiver of APCs for members.

Journal/Publisher Fee Link WU or WUSM Status
American Chemical Society (ACS)  Authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a discount on APCs for open access articles. Additional discounts apply if authors are ACS members. ACS Author Choice WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.
Annual Reviews

Under the Subscribe to Open (S2O) program from Annual Reviews, authors will not be charged APCs. S2O makes use of the existing subscription base, funds and infrastructure to make journals free to read and share as well as to publish in. WU and WUSM subscribe to a number of Annual Reviews journals to support this OA initiative as of January 2023. Authors will be required to sign a Creative Commons license. 

Annual Reviews Subscribe to Open (S2O) program

WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

 Corresponding authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a waiver of APCs for works published in ACM journals. Authors who do not wish to publish their work under an open access license may opt out and publish their work as subscription-only. (January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2025) ACM Open WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.
Bioscientifica Corresponding authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a discount on APCs for open access articles published by Bioscientifica journals: Journal of Endocrinology; Journal of Molecular Endocrinology; Endocrine-Related Cancer; European Journal of Endocrinology; and Reproduction. Bioscientifica Society for Endocrinology Journals WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.
BMJ Case Reports Authors from a subscriber institution (Institutional Fellowship subscriber) are entitled to a waiver of APCs for case reports (including color charges). BMJ Case Reports Fees WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions. Please complete this form to obtain the Fellowship Code for BMJ.
Cambridge University Press (CUP)

Corresponding authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a waiver of APCs for open access articles published in Cambridge University Press journals (January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025). Some publication types are not eligible for the discount. See the “Article types not covered by transformative agreements” section on Article Types Definitions.

Cambridge Open Access Waivers and Discounts (enter Washington University to find the list of eligible journals).

WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press   Corresponding authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a waiver of APCs for open access articles  published in: Genes & Development; Genome Research; RNA; Learning and Memory; and Molecular Case Studies. This option applies only to original research articles; not reviews, editorials, and analyses. The funding for the full waiver is limited and subject to a first-come, first-serve basis each calendar year. After the full waiver funding reaches its limit, authors will receive a 10% discount for APCs for open access articles. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Transformative Agreements WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.
Elsevier Corresponding authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a 25% discount on APCs for open access articles. Eligible titles include Elsevier-owned journals, with the exception of Cell Press and The Lancet, and certain society titles. 

Washington University in St. Louis Journal Finder List

Elsevier Discounts on APC guide

 WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.
Future Science Group Corresponding authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a full waiver of APCs for open access articles in select titles from the Future Medicine and Future Science collections. Authors will be required to sign a Creative Commons license. (January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025)

Future Medicine

Future Science

 WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.
Institute of Physics (IOP)

Corresponding authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a waiver of APCs for works published in IOP journals: Journal Lists A, B, C, and D. Authors who do not wish to publish their work under an open access license may opt out and publish their work as subscription-only. (January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2025).

IOP Journal Finder (enter “Washington University in St. Louis” or the title of the IOP journal).

Guide for Authors

 WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.
Karger

Under the Subscribe to Open (S2O) program from Karger, authors will not be charged APCs for two journals: Pediatric Neurosurgery and Developmental Neuroscience. S2O makes use of the existing subscription base, funds and infrastructure to make journals free to read and share as well as to publish in. WU and WUSM subscribe to Karger journals to support this OA initiative as of January 2023. Authors will be required to sign a Creative Commons license.

 Karger Subscribe to Open (S2O) program WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.
Microbiology Society Corresponding authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a waiver of APCs for open access articles under a Publish and Read agreement. Authors will be required to sign a Creative Commons license. Microbiology Society Publish and Read Journey WU and WUSM are Publish and Read subscriber institutions.
Open Library of Humanities Authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a waiver of APCs. List of Journals WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.
Policy Press Authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a 20% discount on APCs for open access articles. Open Access Options with Policy Press WU and WUSM authors may use customer number (CU-0028017) to obtain a discount.
Portland Press Authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a discount on APCs for open access articles from select journal titles. Portland Press WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Authors from a subscriber institution are entitled to a discount on APCs for open access articles. PNAS Open Access Option WU and WUSM are subscriber institutions.
(2024 site license)

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