In April when we first gathered APC information for SpringerOpen we found many titles with links not working to uncover details. Over the past week I’ve noticed that details have been added and can now confirm that about 40% of the 235 SpringerOpen titles listed on the publisher’s website are fully sponsored with no article processing charges. In most cases, the language about journal sponsorship is very clear and this could be a model for other publishers. There are some minor variations in wording between journals and sponsors. Following are a few examples of different expressions, all copied from the website of the journal. A complete list of journals with clear language indicating no article processing fees due to full sponsorship, with the corresponding language, follows further on.
Another aspect of SpringerOpen which might be a model for other publishers is the feature of a special tab for the sponsoring institution or society. This appears to me to be a good practice both from the perspective of transparency and to add value back to the sponsor in the form of promotion.
From the chemistry journal 3biotech (see About the Journal / King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology tab)
King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is an independent scientific organization administratively reporting to the Prime Minister. KACST is both the Saudi Arabian national science agency and its national laboratories. The science agency function involves science and technology policy making, data collection, funding of external research, and services such as the patent office. KACST partnered with Springer to publish a suite of international journals to foster the development of key applied technologies, providing a forum for the dissemination of research advances and successes from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the world. KACST provide funds to cover all publication costs of these journals, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors.
From the City, Territory and Architecture home page:
The publication costs for articles in City, Territory and Architecture are covered by Università degli Studi Sassari, authors do not need to pay an article processing charge
From the International Journal of Implant Dentistry home page:
International Journal of Implant Dentistry is affiliated with German Society of Oral Implantology (DGI) and the Japanese Society of Oral Implantology (JSOI). Authors do not need to pay an article processing charge for publication in International Journal of Implant Dentistry.
A full list of the 85 journals listed on the SpringerOpen website with very clear language indicating that there are no article processing charges due to journal sponsorship, with the wording used by each journal, follows. For more details please see the SpringerOpen journal list. In addition to these 85 titles, there are 12 additional journals where I was not able to assess whether there is an APC or not (I classify these as “cost not found”), and 7 journals, of which 3 involve society or institutional sponsorship, that appear to be in the process of developing APCs with costs not specified (e.g. Fees and Funding page says “we are currently rebuilding this website), or in the case of Lingua Sinica, fees are waived for the inaugural year of 2015-2016. One sponsored journal, Zoological Studies, has transferred to a different publisher. It will be interesting to observe what happens with this model over the next few years. This strategy of partnering with sponsoring societies and institutions is similar to what we are seeing this year with De Gruyter Open as reported earlier in english and français
| Journal Title | Language indicating sponsorship / no publication fee |
| 3 Biotech | King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is an independent scientific organization administratively reporting to the Prime Minister. KACST is both the Saudi Arabian national science agency and its national laboratories. The science agency function involves science and technology policy making, data collection, funding of external research, and services such as the patent office. KACST partnered with Springer to publish a suite of international journals to foster the development of key applied technologies, providing a forum for the dissemination of research advances and successes from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the world. KACST provide funds to cover all publication costs of these journals, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. |
| Applied Nanoscience | supported by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) |
| Applied Petrochemical Research | supported by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology |
| Applied Water Science | supported by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology) free to submit and free to read for all |
| Asian Journal of German and European Studies | DAAD from the Federal Foreign Office. All Responsibility for Publication is taken by The Centre for German and European Studies, Chung Ang University. |
| Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility | Fees and funding: The publication costs for Asian Journal of Sustainability and Social Responsibility are covered by the Sustainability Management Research Institute (Inha University, Korea), so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education | Fees and funding:
The publication costs for Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education are covered by the Research Center for Modern Linguistics and Foreign Language Education, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Brain Informatics | The open access fees (article-processing charges) are fully sponsored. Authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges. No sponsor listed. |
| Bulletin of Mathematical Sciences | Bulletin of Mathematical Sciences is a fully sponsored, peer-reviewed open access journal. The Bulletin of Mathematical Sciences was launched by King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. |
| Business Research | publication costs for articles published in Business Research are covered by the German Academic Association of Business Research, so authors do not need to pay an article processing charge. |
| China Finance and Economic Review | The publication costs for China Finance and Economic Review are covered by the National Academy of Economic Strategy, CASS, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| China Journal of Economic Research | The publication costs for articles in China Journal of Economic Research are covered by the Centre for Economic Research, Shandong University, so authors do not need to pay an article processing charge. |
| City, Territory and Architecture | The publication costs for articles in City, Territory and Architecture are covered by Università degli Studi Sassari, authors do not need to pay an article processing charge. |
| Clinical Phytoscience | The publication costs for the articles published in Clinical Phytoscience are sponsored by the Phytoneering Foundation, so authors do not need to pay the article processing charge |
| Comparative Migration Studies | The publication costs for Comparative Migration Studies are covered by IMISCOE, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Complex & Intelligent Systems | Complex & Intelligent Systems is an Open Access journal supported by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). The open access fees (article-processing charges) for this journal are kindly sponsored by KACST. Authors can publish in the journal without any charges. |
| Computational Cognitive Science | The publication costs for Computational Cognitive Science are covered by the Centre for Knowledge & Interaction Technology, Flinders University, Australia, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Computational Visual Media | This is an open access journal, published quarterly by Tsinghua University Press and Springer. The open access fees (article-processing charges) are fully sponsored by Tsinghua University, China. Authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges. |
| Data Science and Engineering | The open access fees (article-processing charges) are fully sponsored. Authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges. |
| Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training | The publication costs for Empirical Research in Vocational Education and Training are covered by Staatssekretariat für Bildung, Forschung und Innovation (SBFI), Bern, Switzerland, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| European Journal of Futures Research | The open access fees (article-processing charges) for this journal are kindly sponsored by the Institut Futur (Free University Berlin), the Center for Futures Studies (Salzburg University of Applied Sciences) and the Foundation for Future Studies – an initiative of British American Tobacco, Hamburg.Authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges. |
| Fashion and Textiles | associated with the The Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles. The journal enjoys the full support of the KSCT, who provide funds to cover all costs of publication, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. Therefore the journal is both free to read and free to publish in for everyone. |
| Fields Mathematics Education Journal | The publication costs for Fields Mathematics Education Journal are covered by The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Financial Innovation | The publication costs for Financial Innovation are covered by Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Forest Ecosystems | The publication costs for Forest Ecosystems are covered by Beijing Forestry University, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Functional Linguistics | The publication costs for Functional Linguistics are covered by M.A.K. Halliday Library, School of Foreign Languages, Sun Yat-sen University, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Genus | The publication costs for Genus: Journal of Population Sciences are covered by Sapienza University, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Geothermal Energy | The publication costs for Geothermal Energy are covered by Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ; Helmholtz Centre Potsdam – GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences; and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences | The publication costs for Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences are covered by Korea Information Processing Society – Computer Software Research Group, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| International Aquatic Research | fully sponsored – Islamic Azad University |
| International Journal of Advanced Structural Engineering (IJASE) | The journal is associated with the Islamic Azad University (IAU). It enjoys the full support of the IAU, who provide funds to cover all costs of publication, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. Therefore the journal is both free to read and free to publish in for everyone. |
| International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy | The publication costs for International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy are covered by Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| International Journal of Dharma Studies | The publication costs for International Journal of Dharma Studies are covered by the Center for Dharma Studies at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education | The publication costs for International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education are covered by the journal, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge..edited by the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya and the Universidad de los Andes (Colombia). |
| International Journal of Geo-Engineering | The open access fees (article-processing charges) for this journal are kindly sponsored by the Korean Geotechnical Society. Authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges. |
| International Journal of Implant Dentistry | International Journal of Implant Dentistry is affiliated with German Society of Oral Implantology (DGI) and the Japanese Society of Oral Implantology (JSOI). Authors do not need to pay an article processing charge for publication in International Journal of Implant Dentistry. |
| International Journal of Industrial Chemistry | The journal is associated with the Islamic Azad University (IAU). It enjoys the full support of the IAU, who provide funds to cover all costs of publication, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. Therefore the journal is both free to read and free to publish in for everyone |
| International Journal of Mechanical and Materials Engineering | The article-processing charges for this journal are kindly sponsored by the University of Malaya, Malaysia. Authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges. |
| International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture | The International Journal of Recycling of Organic Waste in Agriculture is a peer-reviewed open access journal published under the brand SpringerOpen, covering all aspects of recycling of organic waste. It is fully supported by the Islamic Azad University, who provide funds to cover all costs of publication, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. Therefore the journal is both free to read and free to publish in. |
| International Nano Letters | fully supported by the Islamic Azad University, who provide funds to cover all costs of publication, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. Therefore, it is both free to read and free to publish in International Nano Letters. |
| IZA Journal of European Labor Studies | The publication costs for IZA Journal of European Labor Studies are covered by IZA – Institute for the Study of Labor, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| IZA Journal of Labor & Development | The publication costs for IZA Journal of Labor & Development are covered by IZA – Institute for the Study of Labor, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| IZA Journal of Labor Economics | The publication costs for IZA Journal of Labor Economics are covered by IZA – Institute for the Study of Labor, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| IZA Journal of Labor Policy | The publication costs for IZA Journal of Labor Policy are covered by IZA – Institute for the Study of Labor, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| IZA Journal of Migration | The publication costs for IZA Journal of Migration are covered by IZA – Institute for the Study of Labor, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Journal of Advanced Ceramics | The open access fees (article-processing charges) for this journal are kindly sponsored by the State Key Laboratory of New Ceramics and Fine Processing at Tsinghua University. Authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges |
| Journal of Analytical Science and Technology | The publication costs for Journal of Analytical Science and Technology are covered by the journal, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Journal of Children’s Orthopaedics | The Journal of Children’s Orthopaedics – the official journal of the European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society (EPOS). The Article Processing Charges (APC) are fully sponsored by EPOS. |
| Journal of Chinese Management | The publication costs for Journal of Chinese Management are covered by the China Association for Social & Economic System Analysis Research, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge |
| Journal of Economic Structures | Message on journal home page: Due to a generous grant by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), we will waive article processing charges (APCs) for all accepted articles in the Journal of Economic Structures. The Official Journal of the Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS). Message under Fees and funding: The publication costs for Journal of Economic Structures are covered by Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research | Society affiliation: Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research is affiliated with the Faculty of Entrepreneurship and the UNESCO Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of Tehran. The publication costs for Journal of Global Entrepreneurship Research are covered by the University of Tehran, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Journal of Industrial Engineering International | The journal is associated with the Islamic Azad University (IAU). It enjoys the full support of the IAU, who provide funds to cover all costs of publication, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. Therefore the journal is both free to read and free to publish in for everyone. |
| Journal of International Humanitarian Action | The publication costs for Journal of International Humanitarian Action are covered by the Network On Humanitarian Action, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Journal of Modern Power Systems and Clean Energy | Open access sponsored by the State Grid Electric Power Research Institute |
| Journal of Modern Transportation | fully sponsored: Southwest Jiaotong University |
| Journal of Nanostructure in Chemistry | The journal is associated with the Islamic Azad University (IAU). It enjoys the full support of the IAU, who provide funds to cover all costs of publication, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. Therefore the journal is both free to read and free to publish in for everyone. |
| Journal of Organization Design | The publication costs for Journal of Organization Design are covered by the Organizational Design Community, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. This has been made possible by a generous grant from the Department of Management, Aarhus University. |
| Journal of Orthopaedics and Traumatology | The open access fees for this journal are kindly sponsored by the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. By publishing with open access you can keep the copyright. |
| Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology | The Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology is a quarterly Open Access journal (supported by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology) |
| Journal of Theoretical and Applied Physics | It is fully supported by the Islamic Azad University, who provide funds to cover all costs of publication, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. Therefore the journal is both free to read and free to publish in. |
| Journal of Uncertainty Analysis and Applications | The publication costs for Journal of Uncertainty Analysis and Applications are covered by the International Consortium for Uncertainty Theory (ICUT) and Hebei University of Engineering, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Large-scale Assessments in Education | The publication costs for Large-scale Assessments in Education are covered by IEA-ETS Research Institute, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge |
| Latin American Economic Review | The open access fees (article-processing charges) for this journal are kindly sponsored by CIDE. Authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges. CIDE =(Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas) |
| Life Sciences, Society and Policy | The publication costs for Life Sciences, Society and Policy are covered by Centre for Society and the Life Sciences, Radboud University, the Netherlands and Economic and Social Research Council, Genomics Network, UK, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Materials for Renewable and Sustainable Energy | supported by King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. |
| Mathematical Sciences | The journal is associated with the Islamic Azad University (IAU). It enjoys the full support of the IAU, who provide funds to cover all costs of publication, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. Therefore the journal is both free to read and free to publish in for everyone. |
| Mathematics-in-Industry Case Studies | The publication costs for Mathematics-in-Industry Case Studies are covered by The Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Micro and Nano Systems Letters | The publication costs for Micro and Nano Systems Letters are covered by The Society of Micro and Nano Systems, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Molecular and Cellular Pediatrics | Authors do not need to pay an article processing charge for publication in Molecular and Cellular Pediatrics. Molecular and Cellular Pediatrics is an official journal of the German society of child and adolescent medicine (DGKJ). |
| Nano Convergence | The publication costs for Nano Convergence are covered by the Korea Nano Technology Research Society, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Nano-Micro Letters | The open access fees (article-processing charges) for this journal are kindly sponsored by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges. |
| New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science | New Zealand Forest Research Institute Limited (Scion). New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science is owned by Scion. The publication costs for articles in New Zealand Journal of Forestry Science are covered by Scion, so authors do not need to pay an article processing charge. |
| Pacific Journal of Mathematics for Industry | The publication costs for the Pacific Journal of Mathematics for Industry are covered by the Institute of Mathematics for Industry, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Progress in Biomaterials | The journal is associated with the Islamic Azad University (IAU). It enjoys the full support of the IAU, who provide funds to cover all costs of publication, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. Therefore the journal is both free to read and free to publish in for everyone. |
| Progress in Orthodontics | All accepted articles are published free of charge. Progress in Orthodontics is associated with the Italian Society of Orthodontics (SIDO) |
| Protein & Cell | The open access fees (article-processing charges) for this journal are kindly sponsored by Higher Education Press, Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Biophysical Society of China. Authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges. |
| Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning | The publication costs for Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning are covered by The Asia-Pacific Society for Computers in Education, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Science China Life Sciences | The open access fees for this journal are kindly sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. |
| SERIEs | The open access fees for this journal are kindly sponsored by the Spanish Economic Association. By publishing with open access you can keep the copyright and assign only the exclusive right to any commercial use of the article to Springer. |
| Strategies in Trauma and Limb Reconstruction | By publishing with open access you can keep the copyright. The open access fees (article-processing charges) for this journal are kindly sponsored by the British Limb reconstruction Society. Authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges. |
| The Journal of Chinese Sociology | The publication costs for The Journal of Chinese Sociology are covered by Institute of Sociology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| The Journal of Global Positioning Systems | The publication costs for The Journal of Global Positioning Systems are covered by The International Association of Chinese Professionals in Global Positioning Systems, so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Urban Rail Transit | The open access fees (article-processing charges) for this journal are kindly sponsored by Beijing Urban Rapid Rail Transit Press Co. Ltd., authors can publish in the journal without any additional charges. |
| Video Journal of Education and Pedagogy | The publication costs for Video Journal of Education and Pedagogy are covered by Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, University of Waikato (NZ); Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia; Institute of Education, Massey University (NZ); College of Educational Studies, Chapman University (USA); Department of Learning and Philosophy, Aalborg University (Denmark); Faculty of Education, University of Auckland (NZ); Department of Informatics and Computing, University of Applied Sciences (Croatia), so authors do not need to pay an article-processing charge. |
| Vietnam Journal of Computer Science | The Vietnam Journal of Computer Science is published in cooperation with the Nguyen Tat Thanh University, which provide funds to cover all costs of publication, including the Article Processing Charges (APC’s) for all authors. Therefore the journal is both free to read and free to publish in for everyone. |
Cite as:
Morrison, H. (2016). SpringerOpen: About 40% of journals fully sponsored, good clear language examples. Sustaining the Knowledge Commons / Soutenir Les Savoirs Communs. Retrieved from https://sustainingknowledgecommons.org/2016/05/09/springeropen-about-40-of-journals-fully-sponsored-good-clear-language-examples/
Sustaining the Knowledge Commons / Soutenir les savoirs communs 