Open Access Publishing
Support for Open Access Publishing
Northeastern University Library has agreements in place with a variety of publishers to support open access publishing. Through transformative agreements and various subscribe-to-open and publish-and-read models, Northeastern-affiliated authors can have Article Processing Charges (APCs) fully covered or can receive discounts on the APCs charged by some publishers to make their articles available Open Access.
- For assistance with existing open access agreements, please contact the Collection Development Librarian.
- For assistance with depositing a copy of your research publication in an open access repository, like the Digital Repository Service, please contact the Digital Repository team
- For information about the Library’s open access publishing strategy, please contact the Associate Dean for Experiential Learning and Academic Engagement.
Open Access Agreements and Discounts for Northeastern Authors
Download the Quick Reference Guide (Print Version) | Download the Quick Reference Guide (Digital Version)
- American Chemical Society: Northeastern authors receive a $250 discount on APCs when publishing open access, or a $500 discount if the author is also an ACS member. Pricing for OA articles with ACS varies based on each journal.
- Annual Reviews: APCs are covered for Northeastern authors who publish in qualifying open access Annual Reviews publications. See information about the Subscribe-to-Open (S20) model and qualifying journals.
- Biomedcentral and SpringerOpen journals: Northeastern University’s membership offers Northeastern University authors a 15% discount on APCs. Charges vary by journal.
- Bioscientifica allows corresponding authors affiliated with Northeastern to receive a 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.
- Cambridge University Press: APCs are covered for Northeastern authors who publish in a CUP hybrid or Gold OA journal. The article must be one of five research article types defined by CUP: 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.
- Company of Biologists: APCs are covered for Northeastern authors who publish research articles 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. A step-by-step guide for authors is available here.
- Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy (University of Toronto Press) through the Library’s current subscription, The Open Access Publish Guarantee allows lead authors affiliated to publish open access without paying APCs. Articles will be open access regardless of whether the subscribe-to-open subscription threshold is met.
- Microbiology Society: APCs are covered for Northeastern authors as part of a Publish and Read agreement. See the Publish and Read Author Guide.
- National Academy of Sciences: Northeastern authors receive a discounted APC fee of $1,100 (vs. $1,450) to make publications available Open Access. For questions/assistance please contact the Collection Development Librarian.
- Springer Nature: APCs are covered for Northeastern authors who publish in many of Springer Nature’s portfolio of hybrid and subscription journals, including Springer, Palgrave, and Adis. See Eligible journals for the Agreement and the Author Guide. The current agreement does NOT include Nature or journals that are already full open access.
- Wiley: APCs are fully covered for Northeastern authors who publish in a Wiley hybrid journal, or a Wiley fully open access (GOLD) or Hindawi journal. Qualifying publication types include primary research and review articles, original articles, case studies, reviews, and short communications. See the article types supported, info on submitting to hybrid journals and info on publishing in fully open access journals.
Other Ways of Funding and Publishing Open Access
Upload Your Publications to 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.)
- Check your publisher’s policy about self-archiving at the SHERPA/RoMEO website.
- Learn more about the Digital Repository Service (DRS) and get started uploading your work. For questions/assistance, contact Sarah Sweeney, Digital Repository Manager.
Cover costs via grants and 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
The NU Libraries support open access initiatives and advocacy through memberships in or contributions to:
Finding and 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.