Publishing Discounts

Article Processing Charges (APCs) are fees charged to authors by some open access journals to defray the costs of editing and publishing.

Some libraries help researchers with an APC fund. We have chosen to focus on supporting a sustainable scholarly communication system which is not reliant on authors absorbing the costs of publishing.

We support alternative models such as a membership (like that offered by the Open Library of the Humanities). Continuing to pay at the article level is neither sustainable for a university with our research output, nor sound financial governance.

In most cases authors who publish in a traditional paywalled journal may deposit an open access version in the form of an accepted manuscript or preprint in a repository (such as U of G’s Atrium). Please contact us to find out how.

APC discounts for U of G authors

While the library does not have an APC fund, some of our negotiated publisher agreements provide the following discounts to University of Guelph authors:

• American Chemical Society Journals: $250 USD flat discount
• Cambridge University Press Journals: 100% discount
  • For 2022-2024, U of G corresponding authors can publish open access at no charge in Cambridge hybrid and gold journals. This includes the following article types: research articles, review articles, rapid communications, brief reports, and case reports. The APC waiver is automatically applied when authors indicate their U of G affiliation during the submission process.
• Canadian Science Publishing (CSP): U of G library has negotiated a partial Read and Publish deal which includes free unlimited OA publishing for U of G corresponding authors for the five journals listed below. For CSP’s other hybrid titles, U of G authors are entitled to a 25% APC discount for those who wish to make their published articles Open Access. The aforementioned discount does not apply to CSP’s Open Access (OA) journals, only their hybrid journals.
  • Biochemistry and Cell Biology
  • Canadian Journal of Physics
  • Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
  • Genome
  • Transactions of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering
• Cogitatio journals: 100% discount
  • For 2022-2024, U of G corresponding authors can publish open access at no charge in Cogitatio journals.
• Company of Biologists: 100% discount
  • For 2022-2024, U of G corresponding authors can publish open access at no charge in Company of Biologists journals.
• Elsevier: 20% discount
  • As per the CRKN agreement, from January 2021 to December 2023, U of G corresponding authors are eligible for a 20% APC discount for both hybrid and gold Elsevier journals (Cell Press, Lancet, and some other society-owned journals are excluded). Authors must specify their U of G affiliation in the publisher’s journal workflow.
• Institute of Physics: 100% discount
  • For 2022-2024, U of G corresponding authors can publish open access at no charge in IOP gold and hybrid journals (see journal list and author guide).
• MDPI Journals: 10% discount for U of G affiliated authors
• MDPI Open Access Books: 10% off Book Publishing Charges (BPCs) for U of G affiliated authors
• Microbiology Society Journals: 100% discount
  • U of G corresponding authors can publish open access at no charge in Microbiology Society Journals. To be eligible, authors must use their U of G email address during the submission process.
• PLOS Biology and PLOS Medicine: 100% discount
  • As of January 1, 2021, U of G authors can publish in PLOS Biology or PLOS Medicine without paying APC charges, as a result of our participation in the PLOS Community Action Publishing Program. Other PLOS journals are not included at this time.
• Royal Society: 100% Article Processing Charge (APC) discount for all corresponding UoG authors on journals in the Biological Sciences Collection
  • As of January 31, 2023, University of Guelph authors may publish their articles open access in select Royal Society journals without paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). The waiver or discount is automatically applied when authors indicate their UoG affiliation during the submission process. Biological Collection Journals include:

    • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B

    • Proceedings of the Royal Society B

    • Biology Letters

    • Journal of the Royal Society Interface

    • Interface Focus

• Sage Journals: 100% discount in select SAGE Choice journals; 40% discount for most SAGE gold open access journals
  • As of January 1, 2021, University of Guelph authors may publish their articles as open access in over 900 SAGE Choice journals (journals excluded from SAGE Choice) without paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). For most SAGE gold open access journals, a 40% APC discount applies. The waiver or discount is automatically applied when authors indicate their U of G affiliation during the submission process.
• Taylor & Francis: 25% discount
  • Discount applied for Open Select Journals only
• Wiley: 100% Article Processing Charge (APC) discount on all Hybrid journal journals for corresponding UoG authors
  • As of January 1, 2023, University of Guelph authors may publish their articles as open access in over 1,600 Wiley journals without paying Article Processing Charges (APCs). The waiver or discount is automatically applied when authors indicate their U of G affiliation during the submission process.