Open Access Publishing
Support for Open Access Publishing
Northeastern University Library (NUL) leverages subscription relationships with publishers to create agreements that fully cover or discount APCs (Article Processing Charges) to publish open access. Transformative “read-and-publish” agreements provide continued/expanded access to content while boosting the reach and potential impact of Northeastern research.
Coming in 2026: NUL is currently negotiating to renew publishing agreements with Springer and Wiley. These will take effect early in 2026 (early to mid-February is likely). Springer articles accepted after Jan. 1 2026 are being approved now through their open access dashboard. For Wiley, any unpublished hybrid articles accepted for publication between January 1 2026 and the launch open access dashboard launch date will be retroactively offered open access. Similarly, for gold open access, if an article is submitted during this period, it will also be retroactively offered open access. For more questions contact Collection Development.
SciFree search: find Journals included in OA agreements
Open Access Agreements
Agreements are open to all currently affiliated Northeastern University corresponding authors.
[Updated 03/10/2026] Please note limits for some publishers on the number of APCs available.
- American Chemical Society: APCs fully covered for publishing in Gold OA (all articles are OA) or hybrid journals (some articles are OA, some subscription-access). Please note: Northeastern has a total of 78 remaining APCs through Dec. 31 2027, when our current OA agreement ends.
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME): APCs fully covered for publishing open access in ASME journals. See complete list of journals included and slides explaining the author submission process.
- Annual Reviews: APCs fully covered for publishing in qualifying publications. See information about the Subscribe-to-Open (S20) model and qualifying journals.
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM): APCs fully covered. See the ACM FAQ.
- Bentham Journals: APCs fully covered for publishing open access in Bentham Journals.
- BiomedCentral Journals: 15% discount on APCs. Charges vary by journal.
- Bioscientifica: 50% discount on APCs when choosing the gold open-access option in subscription journals that the Library subscribes to. The Library currently subscribes to Journal of Endocrinology and Reproduction. See the Hybrid (subscription) journals section on Bioscientifica’s website for more information.
- BMJ (British Medical Journals) APCs fully covered for publishing open access in BMJ. See Author workflow
- Cambridge University Press: APCs fully covered for publishing open access in CUP journals. The article must be one of five research article types: research, reviews, rapid communications, brief reports, and case reports. Consult the Open Access and Waivers Discount Tool to check which journals are covered under the agreement.
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press: 45% discount on APCs for publishing in select open access journals: Genes & Development, Genome Research, or RNA and Learning & Memory. APCs fully covered for publishing articles not open. For questions contact the Collection Development Librarian.
- Company of Biologists: APCs are fully covered for publishing in any of their three hybrid subscription-based journals or two fully open access journals. Hybrid journals included in the agreement are Development, Journal of Cell Science and Journal of Experimental Biology. Fully Open Access journals include Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open. Step-by-step guide for authors available here.
- De Gruyter: APCs fully covered for publishing in hybrid or fully open access journals. For article types, see the agreement page.
- Electrochemical Society: APCs fully covered for publishing in any ECS journal. ECS monographs are published by Wiley and are not part of this agreement.
- Elsevier: APCs fully covered for publishing in Core-Hybrid Elsevier journals. Please note: Northeastern currently has a total of 113 APCs for articles accepted after Jan 1 2026. For questions contact the Collection Development Librarian.
- Institute of Physics APCs fully covered for publishing in open access IOP journals.
- John Benjamins: APCs fully covered for publishing in John Benjamins’ portfolio of journals. How to receive the APC waiver.
- Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy (University of Toronto Press): APCs fully covered.
- MDPI: 10% discount.
- Microbiology Society: APCs fully covered. See the Publish and Read Author Guide.
- National Academy of Sciences: discounted APCs. More information.
- Optica Gold Open-Access and Hybrid OPG journals: APCs fully covered for publishing gold open access or hybrid journals. Eligible Authors may also publish in any wholly owned new Gold Open Access or Hybrid journals that Optica Publishing Group launches during the term of the agreement.
- Oxford University Press Hybrid Journals: APCs fully covered for publishing in hybrid open access journals. 10% discount for publishing in fully open access journals. Read about the Oxford OA author workflow.
- Royal Society of Chemistry: APCs fully covered. See the Read & Publish agreement with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
- The Royal Society: APCs fully covered. More on included journals and OA publishing.
- Sage: APCs fully covered for publishing in Unlimited Gold OA and Unlimited Hybrid OA journals (any Sage Premier and Sage Gold journal). About open access for authors.
- SPIE: APCs fully covered for publishing in any SPIE journals.
- SpringerNature: APCs are fully covered for publishing in Springer Nature’s portfolio of hybrid and subscription journals, including Springer, Palgrave, and Adis. The agreement does not include Nature or fully open access Springer journals. See Eligible journals for the Agreement and the Author Guide. NUL is currently negotiating to renew its open access publishing agreement with Springer and the Open Access dashboard is open and working for articles accepted after Jan 1, 2026 to be approved. For questions contact Collection Development.
- Taylor and Francis: APCs fully covered for publishing open access in Taylor & Francis, Routledge Open Select (hybrid) and fully open access journals. See eligible Open Select or full open access journals (download here). See Author Workflow for fully open access T&F journals and Author Workflow for Hybrid (Open Select) journals. Please note: Northeastern Library has 39 T&F APCs to distribute in 2026 for articles accepted after Jan 1, 2026. If you have a question about end of year (2025) acceptances, please contact the Collection Development Librarian, about retrospective open access options.
- Wiley: APCs fully covered for publishing in a Wiley hybrid journal or a Wiley fully open access (GOLD) or Hindawi journal. See the article types supported and workflows on submitting to Wiley hybrid and fully open access journals. NUL is currently negotiating to renew open access publishing agreements with Wiley. These will take effect early in 2026 (late January or early February). Publications submitted and accepted after January 1 2026 may be retroactively converted to open access when the agreements go live. For questions contact Collection Development.
Other Ways of Funding & Publishing Open Access
Using the Digital Repository: For Northeastern authors who wish to make research output available to a wider audience but prefer to publish in a subscription-based journal, publishers often permit authors to make a certain version of their articles available open access in their university’s digital repository. Sometimes this may even be required by funders. If you want to deposit an open access copy of your article in Northeastern’s digital repository, the Digital Repository Service (DRS), first check your publisher’s policy about self-archiving at the Open Policy Finder (formerly SHERPA/RoMEO) website.
The DRS provides many options for following publisher rules for releasing open access versions of your articles, including applying an embargo (just select the release date at the bottom of the metadata page) and adding citations (use the notes field when you upload your article).
- Visit the DRS research publications page to view articles deposited by your Northeastern colleagues.
- Visit the DRS subject guide to learn more about the DRS and to get started uploading your work.
- Contact Digital Production Services for help with uploading your articles or questions about the DRS.
Cover Costs via Grants & Sponsored Research: APCs for publishing in open access journals are often acceptable costs to include into grant proposals and other sponsored research budgets.
Benefits of Professional Society Memberships: Northeastern authors may find that professional society memberships afford discounts for open access publishing.
No-Cost Open Access Journals: Many open access journals charge authors nothing for publication. The Guide to Choosing a Publication Venue can help you assess the quality and reputation of journals.
Additional Support
- For assistance with existing open access agreements and determining if a journal is covered under one of the Library’s agreements, please contact the Collection Development Librarian.
- Try looking at the FAQ for NU affiliated authors for information about the OA process
- For assistance with depositing a copy of your research publication in an open access repository like the Digital Repository Service, please contact Digital Production Services
- For information about the Library’s open access publishing strategy, please contact the Associate Dean for Experiential Learning and Academic Engagement.
- Download the Open Access Agreements Quick Reference Guide (Print Version) |
- Download the Open Access Quick Reference Guide (Digital Version)
The NU Libraries support open access initiatives and advocacy through memberships in or contributions to:
- Digital Commonwealth
- Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)
- HathiTrust
- Internet Archive
- Knowledge Unlatched
- SCOAP³
Finding & Using Open Access Resources
Visit our Open Access Resources subject guide for suggested places to find open access and public domain materials including images, video, and datasets.