Open Access Pricing for Authors
The power of choice
A growing number of authors choose to publish open access. ACS offers a variety of journals, open access license types, and routes to open access publication to meet individuals' unique needs.
Overview of ACS open access journal categories
Funders, authors, and research institutions all have unique needs. ACS offers five different types of open access journals to help meet these needs and enable open publishing for all regions, institutions, and individuals.
- ACS Central Science: Edited by Nobel Laureate Carolyn Bertozzi, publication in this highly selective and prestigious journal is fully sponsored by ACS–there is no cost to the author or reader.
- ACS Omega: Impact-neutral journal focused on quality, reporting new findings plus notable negative results in chemistry and related areas of science.
- ACS Au journals: Named after the periodic table symbol for gold, this suite of journals is fully open access and retains the same rigorous peer review and selectivity of ACS’ wider portfolio.
- Other fully open access journals: ACS partners with global organizations to co-publish and also support the cost of publication. These journals attract and support the work of global scientists while offering a reduction in cost.
- ACS hybrid journals: These are the traditional ACS journals that evolved prior to the open access transformation. They publish a blend of open access content and articles which require a subscription to read.
Most authors enjoy reduced- or no-cost open access publishing
A large number of our authors qualify for financial support from their research funder or representative institution through an ACS read and publish agreement. A generous additional range of discounts and promotions help make open publishing more accessible to authors who don’t qualify for institutional or funder support.
We also provide step-by-step instructions for publishing open access using grant or personal funding.
APCs for fully open access journals
| Journal / Collection | CC BY 4.0 license (USD) | CC BY‑NC‑ND 4.0 license (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| ACS Central Science | $0 | N/A |
| ACS Omega | $1,935 | $1,935 |
| ACS Au Journals | $3,500 | $3,000 |
| Other fully open access journals* | $3,500* | $3,000* |
* Sponsored or waived APC's are currently available for select fully open access journals - see "Other fully open access journals" below for details.
APCs for hybrid journals
| Pricing type | CC BY 4.0 license (USD) | CC BY‑NC‑ND 4.0 license (USD) | CC BY after 12 months (USD) | CC BY‑NC‑ND after 12 months (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Pricing | $4,500 | $4,000 | $2,500 | $2,000 |
Article development charge (ADC) for zero-embargo green open access
Article development charge (ADC) for zero-embargo green open access
This option expands the choices beyond the free 12-month embargo route for those authors who do not already benefit from a read and publish agreement to comply with zero-embargo green open access mandates by posting their accepted manuscript to a repository without delay from acceptance.
The article development charge (ADC) is a flat fee of $2,500 USD and is due once the manuscript is accepted but before publication. The ADC covers the cost of ACS’ publishing services from initial submission through to the final editorial decision.
To continue enhancing opportunities for researchers and students from under-resourced regions, ADC waivers or discounts will be automatically applied to papers from corresponding authors from all countries that currently receive special country pricing for article publishing charges (APCs).
The ADC will only be payable if all the following criteria apply:
- The article has been submitted to an ACS hybrid journal;
- The manuscript includes funder- or institution-recommended language regarding zero-embargo green open access; and
- The corresponding author’s institution does not participate in a read and publish agreement, and they have not indicated that they intend to publish the version of record as immediate ‘gold’ open access.
For more information about this option, please see our zero-embargo green open access page.
Special pricing and promotions
Special pricing and promotions
ACS Premium Package members are eligible for a $250 USD discount on listed prices for open access publication in all ACS journals.
ACS offers full waivers or significantly discounted article publishing charges for papers in our fully open access journals whose submitting corresponding authors are based in countries classified by the World Bank as low-income economies as of July 2022.
Submitting corresponding authors from World Bank Group A countries will receive a full waiver of article publishing charges.
Submitting corresponding authors from World Bank Group B countries are eligible for significantly discounted article publishing charges.
Article publishing charges for eligible authors will be automatically discounted or waived upon acceptance. Find out more here.
Authors based at institutions which subscribe to ACS All Publications Package are eligible for a discount of $250 on listed prices. This discount is only applicable toward open access publishing in hybrid / transformative journals.
Discounted APCs for hybrid / transformative journals are shown in the table above.
Your librarian will be able to confirm your institution’s subscription status. This does not apply to ACS Au journals or when country discount is applied.
The following ACS open access publications are offering special introductory sponsored open access publishing. Special thanks to the institutions partnering with ACS, who make it possible to offer introductory no-fee open access publication.
- Artificial Photosynthesis: APCs automatically waived for all articles accepted before December 31, 2026
- Chem & Bio Engineering: APCs automatically waived for all articles submitted by December 31, 2026 if they are accepted after peer review
- Chemical & Biomedical Imaging: APCs automatically waived for all articles submitted by December 31, 2025 if they are accepted after peer review
- Environment & Health: Authors who submit their manuscripts by December 31, 2025 may apply for an APC waiver if their paper is accepted after peer review
- Photon Science: APCs automatically waived for all articles submitted by December 31, 2027 if they are accepted after peer review
- Polymer Science & Technology: APCs automatically waived for all articles submitted by December 31, 2027 if they are accepted after peer review
- Precision Chemistry: APCs automatically waived for all articles submitted by December 31, 2025 if they are accepted after peer review
If your institution participates in a qualifying ACS read and publish agreement, article publishing charges for these journals will automatically be covered by the agreement after the dates listed above.
Authors publishing in any of ACS’ hybrid / transformative journals may opt to publish the article open access after a 12 month embargo and receive a $2,000 USD discount. Discounted APCs for hybrid / transformative journals are shown in the table above.
This embargo period allows the article to be offered under subscription access for 12 months prior to becoming available via open access.
Copyright retention options
Publishing open access with ACS grants authors the option to retain copyright.
After completing the Journal Publishing Agreement, authors are given the option to publish open access and retain copyright. Those who wish to publish open access will then select which Creative Commons license type meets their needs. Completing this process and selecting either a CC BY or CC BY-NC-ND license will ensure that the author retains copyright.
Authors publishing with ACS through the zero-embargo green open access route retain copyright on their accepted manuscript with a CC BY license, and can post it to a funder or institutional repository immediately upon acceptance.
Automatic PubMed Central deposit
Any article that an author chooses to make open access with ACS will automatically be sent to PubMed Central (PMC) and Europe PMC for deposit after issue and license completion. For authors who choose a 12 month embargo discount, the article will be sent to PMC after the embargo period. Authors are also free to deposit the accepted manuscript version of their article in their institutional and/or research funder’s designated open access repository (either immediately upon publication following payment of an article development charge, or after a 12-month embargo period with no fees to pay).
Creative Commons licenses
All research articles published in ACS Central Science always receive a CC BY license.
All other fully open access journals, and our range of hybrid journals (when authors select an open access option) offer authors a choice of CC BY or CC BY-NC-ND licenses:
| License type | Description |
|---|---|
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 public use license (Plan S compliant) | Permits the broadest form of re-use, including for commercial purposes, provided that author attribution and integrity are maintained. Note that if you are funded by a signatory of Plan S, you may be required to publish under a CC BY license. |
Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 public use license | Permits non-commercial access & reuse, provided that author attribution and integrity are maintained, but does not permit creation of adaptations or other derivative works. |
Please note that your institution or funder may require you to apply a particular Creative Commons license when publishing your work. If you’re not sure which license type to apply to your work, check your funding agreement or ask a librarian at your institution.
We made it easier for readers of ACS content to identify open access articles and quickly see what permissions are afforded. Learn more here.