Open Access: Open Access Fee Discounts

While some open access journals do not charge a fee for publishing with them, others do.  This page aims to inform University of Kentucky authors of open access journals that provide a discount of their article processing charges (APCs) thanks to the University of Kentucky Libraries' membership or journal subscriptions.

UK Libraries supports open access in various manners.  For example, the library contributes to Annual Reviews' Subscribe to Open initiative and helps convert the contents of five subscription-based serial publications to open access.  The library also publishes a variety of open access journals that are based at the University of Kentucky.

Please note that UK Libraries currently do not provide funding to cover open access journals' APCs.  If you have questions about open access and/or APCs, feel free to contact UK Libraries.

Cambridge University Press

UK Libraries participates in the NorthEast Research Libraries Consortium (NERL) which has made an agreement with Cambridge University Press to support Open Access publishing.  UK authors can publish their article Open Access - at no cost to them - in gold and hybrid journals. Please check the publisher site for details.

IGI Global Journals

Thanks to UK Libraries' purchase of IGI Global e-books, a limited amount of APC waivers are available to UK authors on an annual basis.  Please check the publisher site for details.

MDPI Journals

UK Libraries participates in the MDPI Institutional Open Access Program and UK authors receive a 10% discount of the APC when publishing with MDPI journals.  The discount rate may be subject to change.  Please check the publisher site for the latest information.

PNAS

UK Libraries has a site license with PNAS and UK authors receive a discount of the APC.  The discount rate may be subject to change.  Please check the journal site for the latest information. 

American Chemical Society (ACS) Journals

UK Libraries subscribes to ACS journals.  UK authors who choose to publish open access with ACS AuthorChoice receive a 25% discount of the APC.  The discount rate may be subject to change.  Please check the publisher site for the latest information.

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

UK Libraries participates in ACM Open, ACM’s Transformative Model for Open Access Publication.  For UK authors who choose to publish open access with ACM Open their APC will be waived.  UK authors only need to use their uky email during the submission process to be identified as an author from a participating institution. Benefits include:

• Unlimited Open Access publishing for all corresponding authors in ACM’s research publications, including technical magazines, conference proceedings, and journals
• Unlimited access for all authorized users to the full-text contents of the ACM Digital Library
• Automatic deposit at publication of accepted research articles into an institutional repository, facilitating compliance with funder mandates and supporting Green Open Access
• Default CC-BY author rights on all accepted research articles

Please check the publisher site for more information.

Company of Biologists

UK Libraries has subscribed to a a five-journal Read & Publish package for 2024-2026. Unlimited access to hybrid subscription journals - Development, Journal of Cell Science and Journal of Experimental Biology – and their archives has been set from 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2026. The journals can be cross-searched here alongside fully Open Access journals - Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open.

Corresponding authors at UK can also publish an uncapped number of Open Access research articles in hybrid subscription journals and fully Open Access journals. A step-by-step guide for authors is available here.

Endocrine-Related Cancer

UK Libraries subscribes to this journal and UK authors receive a 50% discount of the APC.  The discount rate may be subject to change.  Please check the journal site for the latest information.

IGI Global Journals

Thanks to UK Libraries' purchase of IGI Global e-books, a limited amount of APC waivers are available to UK authors on an annual basis.  Please check the publisher site for details.

Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD)
UK Libraries is a "shareholder" of JAFSCD and UK authors receive a waiver of the APC.  The discount rate may be subject to change.  Please check the journal site for the latest information. 

Journal of Endocrinology

UK Libraries subscribes to this journal and UK authors receive a 50% discount of the APC.  The discount rate may be subject to change.  Please check the journal site for the latest information.

Journal of Molecular Endocrinology

UK Libraries subscribes to this journal and UK authors receive a 50% discount of the APC.  The discount rate may be subject to change.  Please check the journal site for the latest information.

MDPI Journals

UK Libraries participates in the MDPI Institutional Open Access Program and UK authors receive a 10% discount of the APC when publishing with MDPI journals.  The discount rate may be subject to change.  Please check the publisher site for the latest information.

PNAS

UK Libraries has a site license with PNAS and UK authors receive a discount of the APC.  The discount rate may be subject to change.  Please check the journal site for the latest information. 

Portland Press Journals

UK Libraries participates in Portland Press's Read & Publish pilot and UK-affiliated corresponding authors can publish open access articles in seven Portland Press journals without having to pay the APC.  Please check the publisher site for more information.

Royal Society of Chemistry Journals

UK authors must be the primary author to get the fee waived, and will be IDed by email extensions.  Please check the publisher site for the latest information.

SCOAP³ (High-Energy Physics) Journals

UK Libraries participates in the SCOAP³ initiative and UK authors do not have to pay the APC when publishing with the SCOAP³ journals.