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Open Access Publishing: Paying For Open Access

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 Central 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 Central Library provides two publishing agreements, see below:

Wiley Journals 

Starting January 1, 2024, the NOAA Central 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. 

Wiley Author Services: https://authorservices.wiley.com/author-resources/Journal-Authors/open-access/affiliation-policies-payments/noaa-agreement.html

Watch our recent training (must register first): Author Workshop: How to publish in Wiley Open Access Journals - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Library Network 

PLOS Climate

Starting June 1st, 2022, the NOAA Central 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 Central 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 [email protected] 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
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
OSZAR »