Open Access

NOTICE: PCOM Library's open access payment policies have changed as of July 2023. Please read the updated policies carefully.

Interested in making your research available for free and keeping the copyright for your work? PCOM Library may be able to cover author fees for publishing an open access article based on the following rules:

1. PCOM Library covers author fees for ONLY the journals listed at these links: BioMed Central, PLOS, and SpringerOpen.
2. NEW: The requester must be first author and/or corresponding author of the submitted paper. The submission must be made using a PCOM email address and following the publisher's submission instructions listed below.
3. NEW: The requester must be a full-time PCOM affiliate (faculty, staff, resident, or student) at time of submission.
4. This support is based on available funds in the library annual budget. 
5. Before submitting, please contact Scholarly Communications librarian Jackie Werner.

If these criteria don't apply, consider the alternatives listed under Other Open Access Options below. 

Through the Library's membership with BioMed Central, the Library may pay for up to two accepted manuscripts in a 12 month period.

How to submit:

1. Review PCOM Library's open access coverage criteria. Submissions that do not meet these criteria will not be covered.
2. Contact Jackie Werner to confirm funding is available.
3. Submit using your PCOM email address.
4. Select "I accept responsibility for paying the processing charge" option; upon acceptance, BMC will contact the library to confirm your affiliation and cover your fees.

Links and more information:

• Benefits of publishing in BioMed Central
• BioMed Central journals
• Submit a manuscript
• PCOM BMC publications

BioMed Central is an STM (science, technology, and medicine) publisher of peer-reviewed open access journals. The portfolio of journals spans all areas of biology, biomedicine, and medicine. All original research articles published by BioMed Central are made freely accessible online immediately upon publication. Authors publishing with BioMed Central retain the copyright to their work, licensing it under the Creative Commons Attribution License which allows articles to be re-used and re-distributed without restriction, as long as the original work is correctly cited. 

The Library can cover publication fees for three PLOS journals: PLOS ONE, PLOS Biology, and PLOS Medicine. The Library may pay for up to two accepted manuscripts in a 12 month period.

How to submit:

1. Review PCOM Library's open access coverage criteria. Submissions that do not meet these criteria will not be covered.
2. Contact Jackie Werner to confirm funding is available.
3. Submit using your PCOM email address.

Links and more information:

• Benefits of publishing in PLOS ONE
• Introduction to PLOS and APC-Free Publishing (video)
• Submit a manuscript (PLOS ONE)
• Submit a manuscript (PLOS Biology)
• Submit a manuscript (PLOS Medicine)
• PCOM PLOS publications

PLOS ONE is the world’s first multidisciplinary open access journal and accepts scientifically rigorous research, regardless of novelty. PLOS ONE features original research from the natural sciences, medical research, engineering, as well as the related social sciences and humanities that will contribute to the base of scientific knowledge. By not excluding research on the basis of subject area, PLOS ONE facilitates the discovery of connections between research whether within or between disciplines. The journal’s publication criteria are based on high ethical standards and the rigor of the methodology and conclusions reported. PLOS Biology publishes significant advances across the biological sciences, while PLOS Medicine publishes articles of general interest on biomedical, environmental, social and political determinants of health. The journal emphasizes work that advances clinical practice, health policy or pathophysiological understanding to benefit health in a variety of settings.

PCOM Library has partnered with Springer to cover author fees for SpringerOpen, Springer's collection of fully open access journals. The Library may pay for up to two accepted manuscripts in a 12 month period.

How to submit:

1. Review PCOM Library's open access coverage criteria. Submissions that do not meet these criteria will not be covered.
2. Contact Jackie Werner to confirm funding is available.
3. Submit using your PCOM email address.
4. Select "I accept responsibility for paying the processing charge" option; upon acceptance, Springer will contact the library to confirm your affiliation and cover your fees.
5. NOTE: Cureus is not included in the list of covered SpringerOpen journals, but many author fees can be waived.

Links and more information:

• SpringerOpen journals
• SpringerOpen submission instructions

SpringerOpen, launched in June 2010, includes Springer’s portfolio of 200+ peer-reviewed fully open access journals across all areas of science. SpringerOpen journals and books are made freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication. They are subject to high-level peer review, author and production services ensuring quality and reliability of the work. Authors publishing with SpringerOpen retain the copyright to their work, licensing it under a Creative Commons license.

Not covered by PCOM Library's open access funding policies? You have other options that don't include paying the author fee out of pocket.

• Publish in a journal with no or reduced author fees. Subscription journals normally do not require author fees to publish non-open access articles. Some open access journals, such as Cureus, waive author fees for articles meeting certain criteria (ex. case reports, articles with fewer than five authors, etc.). Read a journal’s Instructions for Authors before submitting--legitimate journals will clearly outline what, if any, fees are required for publication.
• Look for funding elsewhere. Open access fees can be written into grants. Co-authors from other institutions, especially PIs, may have open access funds available. PCOM faculty may be able to request funds from their department. 
• Consider open access after publishing. If you’re committed to open access but can’t afford the author fee, consider green open access: making a non-open access article freely available after publication. Most publishers allow an earlier version of non-open access articles to be posted open access with certain restrictions. Keep your postprint (Word document of the manuscript after peer review but before formatting into a PDF) and contact Jackie Werner to determine if it can be posted on DigitalCommons@PCOM.

DigitalCommons@PCOM is an electronic archive, housing published and unpublished work by PCOM faculty and students as well as publications of classes, departments, and offices. The DigitalCommons provides electronic preservation and persistent access worldwide to the scholarly and creative works of the PCOM community.