APC & Fees
Transparent pricing for open access publication. We offer competitive APCs with waiver programs to ensure research from all backgrounds can be published.
Understanding APCs
Article Processing Charges (APCs) are fees charged to authors or their institutions to cover the costs of open access publication. APCs allow us to make articles freely available to readers worldwide while maintaining high editorial and production standards.
APCs are only charged after your manuscript has been accepted for publication following peer review. There are no submission or review fees.
The APC covers peer review management, copyediting, typesetting, DOI registration, hosting, archiving, and ongoing accessibility.
APCs can be paid by authors, their institutions, research funders, or through institutional agreements. Many funders allow APCs as legitimate research costs.
Cost Allocation
Scholarly Open adheres to complete financial transparency in line with Plan S and open science principles. Every Article Processing Charge is allocated across production, digital preservation, infrastructure, global author equity, and quality-gated academic honoraria.
Production & Preservation
Full-text XML/JATS generation, CrossRef DOI registration, CrossMark metadata, Portico & PKP-PN archiving.
Platform & Infrastructure
editorial360 double-blind portal maintenance, similarity forensics, automated image checks, and cloud hosting.
Global Equity & Waivers
Subsidizing 100% full fee waivers for scholars from low-income countries and discretionary hardship grants.
Governance & Ethics
COPE compliance oversight, research integrity investigations, and editorial board operations.
Reviewer & Editor Honoraria
Quality-gated micro-honorarium fund directly recognizing the intellectual contributions of peer reviewers and handling editors.
Reviewer & Editor Honoraria Policy
€35 – €50 EUR (Capped at €50)Unlike traditional commercial publishers, Scholarly Open allocates a dedicated micro-share of the APC directly to peer reviewers and academic handling editors. To safeguard scientific integrity, honoraria are strictly quality-gated and performance-scaled:
- Editor Rigor Scoring & Dynamic Calculation: The Handling Editor assigns an Editorial Rigor Score (0–100%). Reports scoring ≥ 80% dynamically receive €35 to €50 EUR (strictly capped at €50 EUR max). Reports scoring below 80% are ineligible until revised to COPE standards.
- Exclusive Low-Fee Payment Rails: To protect global reviewers from prohibitive SWIFT bank wire fees (€15–€30), honoraria are disbursed exclusively via Wise, PayPal, or Payoneer. Traditional bank checks or wires are not used.
- 100% Publication Waiver Alternative: Reviewers can convert honoraria into 100% APC waiver credits for their own future submissions, with an enhanced 3× credit multiplier for scholars from low-income nations.
- Handling Editor Stipend: Handling Editors receive a dedicated honorarium of €40 – €60 EUR per completed decision cycle upon synthesizing referee scorecards and issuing reasoned decision letters.
Reviewer Qualification & English Gateway
To ensure equitable global participation without compromising scientific and linguistic quality:
- English & Competency Assessment Gateway: Researchers from developing nations and independent applicants without an established international indexed record must pass a standardized 15-minute online test evaluating academic English comprehension, constructive phrasing, and COPE ethics (passing threshold: ≥ 80%).
- Supervised Onboarding: Certified reviewers complete their initial 1–2 reviews under the direct oversight of an experienced Handling Editor to calibrate feedback standards.
- Monthly Workload Cap: Reviewers are capped at a maximum of 2 active evaluations per month to prevent reviewer fatigue, maintain quality, and eliminate review-farming.
- Career Advancement Pathway: Consistently top-rated reviewers (≥ 90% rigor rating over 3+ assignments) are actively invited to join journal Editorial Boards.
Current APC Rates
Our APCs vary by discipline to reflect the different costs and services involved. These rates apply across our portfolio of 13 Scholarly Open journals.
Inaugural 50% Launch Discount
To celebrate our portfolio launch and support early scholarship, all manuscripts accepted in 2026 receive an inaugural 50% Launch Discount on standard Article Processing Charges (APCs). Authors without institutional or grant funding can additionally apply for discretionary fee waivers.
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- Unlimited article length
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- Figures and data presentation support
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- Chemical structure and equation support
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- MEDLINE formatting
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- Code and dataset availability support
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- Technical figure and schematic support
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- Data visualization and sustainability support
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- AI verification and clinical coding validation
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- Open data and codebase transparency support
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- Carbon accounting and lifecycle assessment verification
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- Mathematical schema and hardware blueprint formatting
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- Gene sequence submission and plasmid mapping support
Includes:
- Full Gold open access publication
- Peer review coordination
- Professional copyediting
- XML and PDF production
- DOI assignment
- Indexing and archiving
- Legal policy and orbital slot map indexing
All prices exclude VAT where applicable. Institutional agreements may provide different rates.
Fee Waivers & Discounts
We are committed to making open access publishing accessible to researchers worldwide, regardless of their financial situation.
Low-Income Countries
100% waiverAuthors from World Bank-classified low-income countries are eligible for full APC waivers.
Lower-Middle Income Countries
50% discountAuthors from lower-middle income countries receive a 50% reduction in APCs.
Financial Hardship
Case-by-caseAuthors without institutional or grant funding may apply for discretionary waivers.
Editorial Board Members
25% discountActive editorial board members receive a discount on APCs for their own submissions.
How to Apply for a Waiver
Waiver requests should be made at the time of submission through our online submission system. Please provide details about your funding situation and eligibility category. Waiver decisions are made independently of editorial decisions and will not affect the peer review process.
Payment Methods
We offer flexible payment options to accommodate different institutional requirements.
Credit Card
Visa, Mastercard, and American Express accepted through our secure payment portal.
Bank Transfer
Invoice payment via SEPA or international wire transfer. Bank details provided upon acceptance.
Institutional Agreements
Check if your institution has an agreement with us for centralized billing.
Funder Compliance
Our open access policies comply with major research funder mandates.
Plan S / cOAlition S
Our Gold OA journals are fully compliant with Plan S requirements.
EU Horizon Europe
APCs are eligible costs under Horizon Europe grants.
DFG (German Research Foundation)
Eligible for DFG open access publication funding.
Wellcome Trust & Other Funders
CC BY licensing meets requirements of most major research funders.
Questions About Fees?
Our team is happy to discuss payment options, waivers, or institutional agreements.