Article Processing Fees (APCs)
***NEWS: Cambridge University Press & SUNY Buffalo State University Sign Transformative Agreement to Waive all Article Processing Fees (APCs) for Buffalo State Faculty***
E. H. Butler Library is pleased to announce it has reached a three-year deal with Cambridge University Press to waive all article-processing charges (APCs) from Cambridge University Press journals for Buffalo State University faculty authors. Open access publications for Cambridge University Press have waived all APCs since January. In addition to waiving APC costs for the duration of the new contract, Cambridge has granted Butler Library patrons access to an additional 397 Cambridge journals. This is a three-year transformative deal. For more information, please contact Joe Riggie, Head of Information Management, or Chris Hulsman, Electronic and Educational Resources Librarian.
Article Processing Fees (APCs) Overview
APCs are charges incurred by the researchers and authors of peer-reviewed, scholarly publications. This model is an alternative to the subscription paywall model where readers must pay for access to the published articles through subscriptions or individual purchases. Instead, articles published through an APC are made accessible for free to the public and the authors and researchers pay to have the article reviewed and published.
The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) has an excellent record for OA journals listed with their APCs (Hybrid Journals will not appear). Please use the search bar below.
What are the Costs of APCs?
APC costs vary between journal and publisher. High impact journals like Science, BMC, and PLoS may charge exorbitant rates for APCs. Some smaller publishers will charge lower fees. A journal's website should be transparent about what the cost is to publish open access. Additionally, beware of journals with low APCs ($75 to $200). Many times these journals are considered predatory, as they will collect APCs and not perform review quality peer-review. For assistance with APCs and predatory publishing, please contact a librarian.
E. H. Butler Library & Article Processing Charges (APCs)
Publications occasionally assess an Article Processing Charge (APC) for an article to be published in an open access or hybrid journal. APCs can vary based on journal impact factor and other bibliometrics. E. H. Butler Library endeavors to support faculty scholarship and publishing at Buffalo State University. Butler Library provides access to several high-impact journal packages and premier research databases. Scholarly publishing standards and mandates for senior and junior faculty are unique to individual departments and disciplines. E. H. Butler Library does not currently have a budget line or funding to support APC spending. Additionally, due to the disparate needs and standards of different schools and departments, E. H. Butler Library cannot prioritize APC spending between different disciplines. Butler Library endeavors to assist faculty with APCs through research and reference assistance. Furthermore, through transformative agreements similar to the current contract with Cambridge Journals, we can help alleviate some of the costs of publishing. Please contact your department chair for further inquiries into APC funding.
