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 the 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 (U of G) authors:

• American Chemical Society Journals: $250 USD flat discount
• Cambridge University Press Journals: 100 per cent 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 per cent 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 per cent discount
  • For 2022-2024, U of G corresponding authors can publish open access at no charge in Cogitatio journals.
• Company of Biologists: 100 per cent discount
  • For 2022-2024, U of G corresponding authors can publish open access at no charge in Company of Biologists journals.
• Elsevier: 100 per cent discount on Hybrid journals, 20 per cent discount on most Gold journals
  • As per the CRKN agreement, from January 2024 to December 31, 2026, U of G corresponding authors are eligible for a 100 per cent APC discount in more than 1,800 Elsevier Hybrid journals, and a 20 per cent discount on most Elsevier Gold Open Access 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. Please visit the CRKN Open Access webpage under the Elsevier tab to download the list of eligible Elsevier journals.
• Institute of Physics: 100 per cent 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 per cent discount for U of G affiliated authors
• MDPI Open Access Books: 10 per cent off Book Publishing Charges (BPCs) for U of G affiliated authors
• Microbiology Society Journals: 100 per cent 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.
• Oxford University Press: 100 per cent discount on Hybrid journals, 20 per cent discount on most Gold journals
  • From February 1 2024 to December 31, 2026, U of G corresponding authors are eligible for a 100 per cent APC discount in Oxford University Press' (OUP) Hybrid journals, and a 10 per cent discount OUP's Gold Open Access journals. Please visit the CRKN Open Access webpage under the OUP tab to download the step-by-step instructions to access these discounts.
• Royal Society: 100 per cent Article Processing Charge (APC) discount for all corresponding U of G 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 U of G 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

• Royal Society of Chemistry: 15 per cent discount on Hybrid journals

• Sage Journals: 100 per cent discount in select SAGE Choice journals; 40 per cent 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 per cent 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 per cent discount
  • Discount applied for Open Select Journals only
• Wiley: 100 per cent Article Processing Charge (APC) discount on all Hybrid journal journals for corresponding U of G authors
  • As of January 1, 2023, U of G 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.