Article Processing Charges (or APCs) are publication fees that are charged by publishers to cover the cost of making an article open access. These fees are most typically charged and paid for by the authors; typically the corresponding or first authors. These fees vary from publisher to publisher, and range from as little as $1,000 to nearly $12,000 per article. APCs can be charged for articles in fully gold OA journals as well as hybrid journals.
These fees are becoming more prominent as publisher's shift towards providing more open access content as a way to supplement the lost revenue of fewer subscriptions and transferring that burden to the authors. Currently, the NOAA Library is looking at ways to help alleviate some of the burden of these costs on NOAA authors and offices, while still promoting open access publishing and open science overall.
NOAA Library provides two publishing agreements, see below: |
Starting January 1, 2024, the NOAA Library will cover NOAA federal authors’ article processing charges (APCs) when they publish in hybrid or Gold OA Wiley journals, including AGU and AFS publications. Additionally, NOAA will have access to all Wiley subscribed content full-text for reference and research. Effective July 1, 2024, this agreement will also cover Cooperative Institute employees if their article includes at least one federal NOAA employee as a co-author; order within authorship listing is not a factor.
Wiley Author Services: https://authorservices.wiley.com/author-resources/Journal-Authors/open-access/affiliation-policies-payments/noaa-agreement.html
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Starting June 1st, 2022, the NOAA Library will cover NOAA corresponding authors’ article processing charges (APCs) when they publish in PLOS Climate, through their Global Equity model which empowers institutions in every region of the world to provide unlimited publication support for their authors through a single, annual fee that is equitable, and affordable.
PLOS Climate is a peer-reviewed fully open access journal that provides a venue for all areas of climate research, with an emphasis on collaborative, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary work that improves global and regional understanding of climate phenomena and informs critical strategies for combating climate change.
For more information about how to ensure your publication is covered by this program see our Author Guide for instructions.
First publication in PLOS Climate via the NOAA Library agreement: How climate change and climate variability affected trip distance of a commercial fishery (2023) by Dr. Hing Ling Chan, Industry Economist, Social-Ecological and Economic Systems (SEES) Program, Ecosystem Sciences Division, NOAA Inouye Regional Center, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
APC Coverage Comparisons |
This table answers some, but not all, of the questions regarding Library APC coverage. Email library.reference@noaa.gov for more information.
| PLOS Climate | Wiley Journals (including AGU & AFS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Article Processing Charges |  |
|
| Color figures and extra page charges | |
 |
|
NOAA Federal Employees |
|
|
| Federal Contract Employees | |
|
| Cooperative Institute Authors | |
IF, the article includes at least one federal NOAA employee as a co-author; placement within authorship is not a factor. |
| Type of publication | ||
| Data Article | |
|
| Method and Protocol | |
|
| Editorials | |
|
| Opinion Pieces | |
|
| Perspective |  |
|
| Practice and Policy | |
|
| Rapid Publication | |
|
| Research Article | |
|
| Review Article | |
|
| Short Communication | |
|
| Technical Note | |
|
