MLA May 21stCosts and payment of open access

article processing charges

Professor Chris McManus University college London.

BioMed Central’s Journals• BioMed Central publishes over 170 open

access peer-reviewed journals.• Using an alternative business model to

maintain our open access policy:

– Article processing charge (APC) per published article

Why have APCs, what do they cover?

• Our journals provide barrier-free open access without subscription charges. Articles are universally and freely accessible via the Internet.

• Open access publishing is not without costs.• APCs cover the following costs:

– Editorial– Development– Production– Customer services / payment administration

What do we charge?

• Varies from journal to journal • Typical BioMed Central

journal charges ~$1350-$1750• BioMed Central APC comparison

page lists 21 publishers’ open access options

• BioMed Central’s charges are towards the lower end

http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/authors /apccomparison

Article-processing charges - who pays?

• Authors pay out of their individual grant funds• Authors pay using “central fund for open

access publishing” managed by their institution and supported by funding agencies e.g. Wellcome Trust

• Institutions prepay on behalf of their authors via BioMed Central membership scheme(Institution gets a discount, authors face no obstacle to choosing OA publication)

Prepay membership• Customers make an advanced payment

depending on article inflow• Larger the advanced payment the greater

discount given• When publish “real” APC minus discount is

deducted from account• When advanced payment runs out can “top-

up” or wait until end of year

Supporters membership• For institutions not going onto prepay model • Pay Flat Fee based on FTE of medical and life

science staff. Starting from $1994• Authors qualify for a 15% discount on APC

www.biomedcentral.com/info/about/prepaymembership

The roles of players in the payment of open access

• Funder’s Role: Grant provider. Provide fund to library or institutional administration or directly to authors. Mandate open access of funded research output

• Institution’s Role: Channel money to libraries or research administration to pay for open access. Judge researchers on quality of article/research not journal. Encourage open access publishing

• Library’s Role: Work with research administrators to organise open access publishing central fund paid for as indirect cost by research funders.

Central Open Access Fund Example

• Gothenburg University, Sweden:– Organised by the library– Funded by “super faculty of health

sciences” Sahlgrenska Academy– Funding is from a central account at the

Academy and is at the Dean’s disposition.• Could this be organised at your institution?

What are the hurdles? Lets discuss!

Thank you for listening!

natasha@biomedcentral.com