Open APC
APCs (Article Processing Charges) are a financial contribution that may be requested by publishers from the author or their institution for the processing of their article and its dissemination in open access. The OpenAPC platform, developed by the University of Bielefeld, collects and publishes APC data from institutions that wish to participate. ULiège is currently collecting information on APCs paid by its researchers to participate in the Open APC project.
What is the trend in expenses for ULiège?
Overall, the increase in the number of articles and the number of APCs per article raises concerns. Particularly because they reinforce publishers’ profits and perpetuate an open access publishing model that is neither ethical nor sustainable. The amounts spent by the University also raise questions in the broader context of similar expenses by other universities in the Fédération Wallonie‑Bruxelles.
It should be noted that:
- Open Access journals are mostly free of publication fees. Only 30% request a financial contribution from authors of a few hundred euros depending on the journal.
- Some publishing houses offer Open Access journals whose publication fees are exorbitant (more than $700 per article). This approach is referred to as “unfair gold.”
- Some subscription journals offer to disseminate articles in open access in exchange for significant additional fees (APCs). This is not Open Access but hybrid publications, which are a trap to avoid as much as possible.
What alternatives exist to Open Access publications with APCs?
There are more ethical and sustainable alternatives to Open Access publishing with publication fees. You can :
- deposit an Open Access version of your articles in an open archive such as ORBi, as required by the University and by the Fédération Wallonie‑Bruxelles
- publish in a Diamond Open Access journal – a journal that does not require APC payment – which is the predominant model as shown by the figures of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
