Support for Open Access publishing at Concordia

Article-Processing Charges

Have you been asked to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC)?

Typically used to support open access, an APC is a charge to authors of scholarly articles during the publication process. Authors support the journal's production costs instead of the subscription fees paid by libraries and readers. Ultimately, an APC allows an article to be available without access restrictions.

Consider the cost to benefit ratio when evaluating whether to pay APCs charged by specific journals. While costs vary, Concordia's institutional memberships seek to reduce expenses for Concordia authors across disciplines. Benefits may include increasing visibility of your research, some top-ranking journals charge APCs, retaining your copyright, and compliance with the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy. Avoid predatory journals. Learn more by consulting the Library's predatory publishing section of our Copyright Guide.

Remember that submitting an eligible version of your article to Spectrum may offer an open-access alternative to APCs as long as you meet the journal's self-archiving policy or have otherwise negotiated your publishing contract. See Sherpa Romeo for your journal's open access policies.