Article Processing Charges: What They Are and Why They Exist

By Marissa Massare on Jun 9, 2023
As of 2023, IGI Global successfully transitioned to a gold open access (OA) model within a span of less than two years. This decision was fueled by the growing demand for increased accessibility to research and aligned with the company’s commitment to serving the research community, as well as its collective of more than 200,000 editors, authors, and library professionals. While open access allows for free and immediate access to published research without paywalls or restrictions, the process of publishing open access work incurs certain costs. Publishers invest significant time and resources to ensure the quality and integrity of open access research. This article explains the concept of OA processing charges, their necessity, and provides information on funding options.
oa%20publishing%20process
What is an OA Processing Charge and Why is it Necessary?
In the traditional subscription-based journal publishing model readers must pay to access published content, and as such, publishers are able to recoup the cost of resources through subscription fees. But open access journals have no paywall, making the content free for anyone who wishes to access it, thus, creating the need for certain measures that publishers must take to ensure that they are able to sustain the publishing process and continue to offer free content to the academic community. And that is why publishers charge an OA processing charge for open access publishing. The fee is meant to help cover the costs of resources expended to publish the open content.The manuscript author(s) or their respective institution or a funding body supporting the journal must pay this cost.
The OA processing charge offsets the costs of all the activities associated with the publication of the manuscript, including: %3C#GetAzureImage:oa-lock
  • High Visibility & Discoverability
  • OA Licensing
  • OA Compliance
  • Online Hosting & Content Distribution
  • Archiving
  • Content Indexing & Abstracting
  • Digital Tools, Systems, & Third-Party Software
  • Editorial Support & Services
  • Formatting, Layout, & Typesetting
  • Promotional Support
When is the OA Processing Charge Due?
The payment of the OA processing charge is not required until AFTER an manuscript has undergone a full double-blind peer review process and has been accepted for publication (authors are not requested to pay an OA processing charge if their work is rejected).
Advantages For Authors
By removing the price barriers to access the work and allowing the work to reach a larger audience, authors have a better likelihood of achieving higher citation impact for their work and also greater potential for future research, development, and collaboration opportunities. The CC BY 4.0 license is applied and therefore the copyright of the published work remains with the authors (so they will have greater flexibility to use the work as they please after publication) and the content is immediately freely accessible to the public upon its release. Others may distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon the work, even commercially, so long as they credit the author for the original creation. Additionally, open access papers are 2-3 times more likely to be read than non-open access papers, benefit from 89% higher download rates than non-open access papers, and are 47% more likely to be cited than non-open access papers. The benefits are truly endless for the authors of the work.
oa-lock
Why You Should Publish Under Open Access With IGI Global
  • Join a Diverse Community of 200,000+ Researchers
  • Double-Blind Peer Review by Notable Editorial Boards
  • Affordable APCs Provisions
  • 175+ Highly Indexed Journals to Choose From
  • Content Spread Widely to Leading Repositories
  • Direct Connections with Research Funders
  • Learn More Here >
Quick Links
Open Access Publishing
Submit an OA Journal Proposal
Submit an OA Manuscript
View All OA Journals
Convert Published Work

Submit to IGI Global’s Highly Indexed Journals

Included in Web of Science SCIE and/or SSCI

ijdwm
ijwsr
ijswis
jdm
joeuc
jgim
SubmitSubmitSubmitSubmitSubmitSubmit

View All IGI Global Journals Seeking Submissions


OA Processing Charge Funding Options

Institutional Open Access Agreements

  • IGI Global offers flexible institutional Open Access Agreements to support institutions' faculty and researchers in garnering higher usage and potential for indexing for their work when publishing under the open access model. IGI Global's options include discounts and funding support for faculty processing charges, as well as support for full open access publications led by faculty. Learn More >

Low- and Middle-Income Countries

  • Corresponding authors affiliated to a low- or middle-income country may request a waiver or discount for the Article Processing Charge (APC) should they be unable to secure funding from an alternate body. View list of eligible countries.

Open Access Funds Through Grant Proposals

  • There are multiple ways to secure open access funding upfront/prior to submission. One of those ways is to include a section about open access in your research grant proposals. Learn More >

Additional OA Funding Resources

Find below common OA funding resources that provide additional information on country funding, OA standards, and more.

For more information regarding open access publishing, we strongly encourage reading the following article published by Web of Science titled “A researcher’s complete guide to open access papers”. We also encourage you to contact IGI Global’s Open Access Division at openaccessadmin@igi-global.com, to learn more about IGI Global’s open access publishing opportunities and for any questions regarding OA processing charges.
About IGI Global
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA with a subsidiary office (IGI Science and Technology, Ltd.) operating out of Beijing, China, IGI Global is a leading medium-sized independent international academic publisher of scholarly reference sources. They are committed to facilitating the discovery of pioneering scientific research that enhances and expands the body of knowledge available to the research community through traditional and open access publishing workflows. Working in close collaboration with more than 200,000+ expert researchers and professionals from leading institutions, IGI Global publishes quality peer-reviewed content in three major academic subject areas:

Learn more about IGI Global here.

Newsroom Contact
Marketing Department
(717) 533-8845
marketing@igi-global.com
www.igi-global.com
Browse for more posts in:
Author NewsNewsletterResources for ResearchersAcquisitions

Displaying 1 comment Comments

Log in or sign up to comment.
Reply
Thank you for the detailed information. Kindly shed more light on how an author/editor proposing a handbook of research can raise grants to finance the project
Bolapeju Agboola7 months ago

More from IGI Global

Cocoa prices surging to $10,000 per metric ton challenge chocolate manufacturers and consumers, risking supply chain stability and higher retail prices...
IGI GlobalRead More
Business and ManagementEnvironmental, Agricultural, and Physical SciencesSustainable DevelopmentBooks & E-BooksResearch Trends
Dr. Akwesi Assensoh-Kodua answered some questions about their background and what went into the development of their chapter...
IGI GlobalRead More
Books & E-BooksInterviewAuthor News
A Florida man sought medical attention for persistent nasal congestion. During the procedure, he discovered approximately 150 live bugs in his nose and sinus cavities, which caused discomfort and health risks...
IGI GlobalRead More
Medical, Healthcare, and Life SciencesBooks & E-BooksResearch Trends
As AI advances, companies are challenged to sell it to a skeptical public, addressing concerns such as job replacement by highlighting AI's role in enhancing human capabilities.
IGI GlobalRead More
Computer Science and Information TechnologyArtificial IntelligenceResearch Trends
EdTech providers are collaborating to address the interoperability challenge in educational technology, aiming to create a seamless experience for educators and students by developing common standards and protocols.
IGI GlobalRead More
In its second year, the IGI Global Annual Academic Publishing Trends & Open Access Survey 2024 seeks to create a realistic outlook on problems faced by the academic community and their potential solutions.
IGI GlobalRead More
Open Access
The tourism industry faces challenges from unethical behaviors that damage trust and reputations. Whistleblowing emerges as a potential solution, where companies can encourage employees to report misconduct to identify and rectify problems swiftly, though barriers such as fear of retaliation and lack of protection for whistleblowers exist.
IGI GlobalRead More
Business and ManagementResearch Trends
IGI Global is excited to announce a significant collaboration with ResearchGate, the premier platform for global scientific networking...
IGI GlobalRead More
JournalsArticlesOpen Access
Recording Now Available of the Free Webinar Co-Hosted by: IGI Global and eContent Pro
IGI GlobalRead More
WebinarContributor Collaboration
First Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10  ... Next Last