© ISTOCK.COM/KMLMTZ66A highlight in the career of any biomedical investigator, from a trainee to an established scientist, is when a research study is ready to be submitted for publication. Increasingly, this sense of gratification may be offset by sticker shock at the article processing charges (APCs) associated with publication. In the process of conducting research, writing and submitting a paper, and addressing reviewer and editor comments, APCs are often not at the front of an investigator’s mind. However, APCs have increased significantly, and authors’ historical indifference to publication fees may be changing as a result.
There are large variations in APCs—publication costs per manuscript can range from minimal or no fees to more than $5,000. These charges are influenced by a number of factors, including the journal and/or publisher, page count of the article, and the number and type of images. Open access (OA) journals include access fees in the APC; many other publishers offer optional open access for an additional fee.
To understand some of the issues that may be driving the rise in publication fees, one needs to consider multiple and competing factors, including costs borne by publishers to bring an article (and a journal) to its final formatted state, as well as the cost recovery and potential profits generated by not only APCs but also revenue streams ...
