Tell us your idea!
If you have an idea or question we want to hear from you.
Simply click the link below.
Do you have other ideas for making Open Access publishing easier and more affordable?
Resources
Learn more
For Institutions - Models Explained
Learn more
Open Access Doesn't Need APCs Part III:
The Simplicity of Flat Fees
Learn more
Open Access Doesn't Need APCs Part II:
Making Inclusion our Foundation with Global Equity
Learn more
Open Access Doesn't Need APCs Part 1:
Charting a New Course with Community Action Publishing
If APCs are too costly for you...
If your institution or organization isn’t interested in Open Access...
If you wish to publish in a journal that has higher APCs...
If your funding does not cover APCs...
If you find applying for waivers time-consuming...
We've recently developed solutions that may help.
Do you have any concerns about paying APCs?
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
Our new institutional agreements are designed to shift costs to your institutions’ library so you focus on submitting your article, and not where to find the funds.
If you find applying for waivers time-consuming…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
We’ve developed a number of institutional agreement models so that you can publish your research without an APC. We know that different institutions have different needs and limitations, which is why we’ve developed a variety of options and we work directly with your institution to find the right one.
If your funding does not cover APCs…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
The cost of peer review is higher for selective journals like PLOS Biology, PLOS Medicine, and PLOS Sustainability & Transformation due to the number of papers needing peer review relative to the smaller percentage of those that publish. We understand that this is a barrier to many, which is why we developed the Community Action Publishing model. Institutions share the cost of running these journals to make it free for authors to publish and reduce the overall costs for all.
If you wish to publish in a journal that has higher APCs…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Not all institutions have had the opportunity to explore the merits of Open Access publishing. If you feel strongly that your institution should learn more about Open Science, and how they can support you through new models, please contact us. We’ll provide the most relevant information on how to support you and your research.
If your institution or organization isn’t interested in Open Access…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
We now offer equitable models where institutions can become part of a program with tiered pricing, including the Global Equity model. We also reduce or waive fees for researchers based in Research 4 Life countries.
If APCs are too costly for you…
At PLOS, we believe science should be shared globally, with everyone, regardless of ability to pay to read or publish. We believe APCs (Article Processing Charges) are just one part of a mixed-model ecosystem. And we believe partnership in collaboration with research institutions, consortia, funders, and service providers can achieve a truly open to read, open to publish framework for researchers.
Open Access doesn't need APCs
FAQs
Q4. What do APCs pay for?
Q3. What does ‘APC’ mean?
Q2. How much does it cost me to publish with PLOS?
Q1. How do I know if my institution has an agreement with PLOS?
A. Publishing incurs a variety of costs with the publisher. At PLOS, we try to keep costs down while upholding high editorial standards, and developing Open Science offerings. You can find more information about price transparency here.
A. ‘APC’ stands for ‘Article Publishing Charges’. They’re just one way to cover the cost of publishing.
A. Potentially nothing if your institution has an agreement with PLOS! However, if they don’t have an agreement, you can find all our current APCs and more fee information on our Publishing Fees page.
A. You can find the information you’re looking for on our Institutional Partnerships page. If they’re not included but you think they should consider partnering with PLOS, please fill out this form.
There's more than one way to pay
Open Access
Tell us your idea!
Do you have other ideas for making Open Access publishing easier and more affordable?
Resources
Q4
Q3
Q2
Q1
If APCs are too costly for you...
If your institution or organization isn’t interested in Open Access...
If you wish to publish in a journal that has higher APCs...
If your funding does not cover APCs...
If you find applying for waivers time-consuming...
We've recently developed solutions that may help.
(Click below)
Do you have any concerns about paying APCs?
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
Our new institutional agreements are designed to shift costs to your institutions’ library so you focus on submitting your article, and not where to find the funds.
If you find applying for waivers time-consuming…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
We’ve developed a number of institutional agreement models so that you can publish your research without an APC. We know that different institutions have different needs and limitations, which is why we’ve developed a variety of options and we work directly with your institution to find the right one.
If your funding does not cover APCs…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
The cost of peer review is higher for selective journals like PLOS Biology, PLOS Medicine, and PLOS Sustainability & Transformation due to the number of papers needing peer review relative to the smaller percentage of those that publish. We understand that this is a barrier to many, which is why we developed the Community Action Publishing model. Institutions share the cost of running these journals to make it free for authors to publish and reduce the overall costs for all.
If you wish to publish in a journal that has higher APCs…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Not all institutions have had the opportunity to explore the merits of Open Access publishing. If you feel strongly that your institution should learn more about Open Science, and how they can support you through new models, please contact us. We’ll provide the most relevant information on how to support you and your research.
If your institution or organization isn’t interested in Open Access…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
We now offer equitable models where institutions can become part of a program with tiered pricing, including the Global Equity model. We also reduce or waive fees for researchers based in Research 4 Life countries.
If APCs are too costly for you…
At PLOS, we believe science should be shared globally, with everyone, regardless of ability to pay to read or publish. We believe APCs (Article Processing Charges) are just one part of a mixed-model ecosystem. And we believe partnership in collaboration with research institutions, consortia, funders, and service providers can achieve a truly open to read, open to publish framework for researchers.
Open Access doesn't need APCs
Q1
A. You can find the information you’re looking for on our Institutional Partnerships page. If they’re not included but you think they should consider partnering with PLOS, please fill out this form.
Q1. How do I know if my institution has an agreement with PLOS?
Q2
A. Potentially nothing if your institution has an agreement with PLOS! However,
ion’t have an agreement, you can find all our current APCs and more fee information on our Publishing Fees page.
Q2. How much does it cost me to publish with PLOS?
Q3
A. ‘APC’ stands for ‘Article Publishing Charges’. They’re just one way to cover the cost of publishing.
Q3. What does 'APC' mean?
Q4
A. Publishing incurs a variety of costs with the publisher. At PLOS, we try to keep costs down while upholding high editorial standards, and developing Open Science offerings. You can find more information about price transparency here.
Q4. What do APCs pay for?
FAQs
There's more than one way to pay
Open Access
Open Access Doesn’t Need APCs Part 1:
Charting a New Course with Community Action Publishing
Open Access Doesn’t Need APCs Part II:
Making Inclusion our Foundation with Global Equity
For Institutions - Models Explained
Open Access Doesn’t Need APCs Part III:
The Simplicity of Flat Fees
Learn more
Learn more
Learn more
Learn more
Tell us your idea!
Do you have other ideas for making Open Access publishing easier and more affordable?
If APCs are too costly for you...
If your institution or organization isn’t interested in Open Access...
If you wish to publish in a journal that has higher APCs...
If your funding does not cover APCs...
If you find applying for waivers time-consuming...
We've recently developed solutions that may help.
Do you have any concerns about paying APCs?
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
Our new institutional agreements are designed to shift costs to your institutions’ library so you focus on submitting your article, and not where to find the funds.
If you find applying for waivers time-consuming…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
We’ve developed a number of institutional agreement models so that you can publish your research without an APC. We know that different institutions have different needs and limitations, which is why we’ve developed a variety of options and we work directly with your institution to find the right one.
If your funding does not cover APCs…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
The cost of peer review is higher for selective journals like PLOS Biology, PLOS Medicine, and PLOS Sustainability & Transformation due to the number of papers needing peer review relative to the smaller percentage of those that publish. We understand that this is a barrier to many, which is why we developed the Community Action Publishing model. Institutions share the cost of running these journals to make it free for authors to publish and reduce the overall costs for all.
If you wish to publish in a journal that has higher APCs…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Not all institutions have had the opportunity to explore the merits of Open Access publishing. If you feel strongly that your institution should learn more about Open Science, and how they can support you through new models, please contact us. We’ll provide the most relevant information on how to support you and your research.
If your institution or organization isn’t interested in Open Access…
If this doesn't work for you tell us why not
Partner with us – refer your librarian
Find out more
We now offer equitable models where institutions can become part of a program with tiered pricing, including the Global Equity model. We also reduce or waive fees for researchers based in Research 4 Life countries.
If APCs are too costly for you…
At PLOS, we believe science should be shared globally, with everyone, regardless of ability to pay to read or publish. We believe APCs (Article Processing Charges) are just one part of a mixed-model ecosystem. And we believe partnership in collaboration with research institutions, consortia, funders, and service providers can achieve a truly open to read, open to publish framework for researchers.
Open Access doesn't need APCs
FAQs
Q4. What do APCs pay for?
Q3. What does ‘APC’ mean?
Q2. How much does it cost me to publish with PLOS?
Q1. How do I know if my institution has an agreement with PLOS?
A. Publishing incurs a variety of costs with the publisher. At PLOS, we try to keep costs down while upholding high editorial standards, and developing Open Science offerings. You can find more information about price transparency here.
A. ‘APC’ stands for ‘Article Publishing Charges’. They’re just one way to cover the cost of publishing.
A. Potentially nothing if your institution has an agreement with PLOS! However, if they don’t have an agreement, you can find all our current APCs and more fee information on our Publishing Fees page.
A. You can find the information you’re looking for on our Institutional Partnerships page. If they’re not included but you think they should consider partnering with PLOS, please fill out this form.
There's more than one way to pay
Open Access
Open Access Doesn’t Need APCs Part 1:
Charting a New Course with Community Action Publishing
Open Access Doesn’t Need APCs Part II:
Making Inclusion our Foundation with Global Equity
For Institutions - Models Explained
Open Access Doesn’t Need APCs Part III:
The Simplicity of Flat Fees
Resources