Open Access Publisher Agreements
The University has several agreements with publishers that allow gold open access at no additional cost or that offer a discounted APC. Where the agreement is for a discounted APC if you are not eligible for payment from the block grants you must have funds available to cover the APC. Many of the agreements are open to all researchers at the University but some are restricted to researchers with funding from UKRI, Wellcome or the British Heart Foundation. Please see below for details.
Authors are strongly encouraged to publish gold open access articles funded by UoA agreements under the CC BY licence. This licence allows for maximum dissemination and re-use of the article and is mandated by most funders.
- ACS (American Chemical Society)
- AIP (American Institute of Physics)
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
- BMC
- Brill
- Cambridge University Press
- Company of Biologists
- Elsevier
- Geological Society of London
- IoP
- Karger
- Microbiology Society
- Open Library of Humanities
- Oxford University Press
- PLOS (expired December 2023)
- Rockefeller Press
- Royal Society
- Royal Society of Chemistry
- Sage
- Springer
- Springer Open
- Taylor & Francis
- Wiley
ACS
Publishes Fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish original research articles in ACS journals open access at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement. Both hybrid and fully open access titles are included.
Instructions
During Submission via ACS Paragon Plus, as a corresponding author, select your institution from a drop-down box and use your affiliated university email address.
Check that your institution affiliation is stated in the body of the manuscript as the corresponding author's affiliation.
Complete the Journal Publishing Agreement to publish open access and retain copyright.
Your institution will be alerted of your request and, if the request is approved, your work will be published at no additional cost to you as ACS open access via a CC-BY 4.0 license and made freely available on the ACS Publications website.
Eligible research output:
Research and review articles
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please see the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
AIP
Publishes Fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish original research articles in AIP hybrid journals open access at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement. Only Hybrid Journals are included.
Instructions
Make sure you are listed as the corresponding author, both in the AIP online submission system and in your manuscript.
Please use an affiliated university email address and select UoA from the institutions drop-down box.
Your article will be tagged to publish open access.
Upon acceptance of your manuscript, you will be able to choose and sign the CC BY or CC BY-NC open access license. CC BY is encouraged to allow maximum reuse and is mandated by most funders.
Eligible research output:
Research and review articles
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please see the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
ACM
Publishes Fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
Corresponding authors affiliated with University of Aberdeen can publish original research articles and conference papers in ACM (Association for Computer Machinery) journals open access at no additional cost through the ACM Open Agreement. Both hybrid and fully open access titles are included.
Instructions
Eligible authors will be identified by their institutional email address and eligible outputs will be automatically published open access under the CC BY Creative Commons licence.
Eligible research output:
Research articles and conference papers.
For further information contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
There is no agreement currently in place with BMC.
BMC Journals are part of the Springer Nature group. The Open Access section of the Springer Open Access Agreement will offer a 15% discount on the APC. The APC in open access journals is not covered by the agreement or the institution.
Please ensure that funds are available to cover the APC before submitting an article. The Open Research team can advise on accessing the block grant for authors in receipt of UKRI, Wellcome or BHF research grants.
Brill
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish original research articles in all Brill journals open access at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement. Both hybrid and fully open access titles are included.
Instructions
Submit your article to your journal contact at Brill with the request to publish in Open Access and indicate that you are an author affiliated to University of Aberdeen. Once accepted the article will be published in Open Access right away and free of charge.
If you submit your article through Editorial Manager, you will be asked during the submission process whether you are eligible for the agreement. Once accepted, the article will be published in Open Access right away and free of charge.
Eligible research output:
Research articles, review articles and conference papers
Charges other than the article process charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For more information please visit the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Cambridge University Press
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish original research articles in participating CUP journals open access at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement. Both hybrid and fully open access titles are included.
Instructions
Please use an affiliated university email address and indicate your affiliation with the University of Aberdeen during submission.
See the CUP webpages for a list of participating journals and for further information.
Eligible research output:
Review Articles, Brief Reports, Case Reports, Rapid Communications, Research articles
Charges other than the article process charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please visit the publisher webpages here or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Company of Biologists
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish original research articles in the Five journal package (Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open) open access at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement.
Instructions
The affiliation of the corresponding author is used to determine eligibility for discounted or waived article processing charges so please ensure that the corresponding author is agreed before submission.
When providing your contact details, please include your institutional email address, as well as the full name and address of your institution, including country.
- If you are submitting an article to Development, Journal of Cell Science or Journal of Experimental Biology, please complete the “Open Access” submission question by selecting “Read & Publish agreement”. (Please note: This step is not required for Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open.)
- There will be no Open Access publication charge on the final submission page. Please contact the Editorial Office if you are eligible for a discount that has not been applied.
Eligible research output:
Original research articles
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please visit the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Elsevier
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish original research articles in participating Elsevier hybrid journals open access at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement.
This agreement does not apply to fully open access titles; where funds are available for APCs in fully open access titles a 15% discount will apply. Please select University of Aberdeen as your affiliated institution when submitting your article for publication.
Instructions
Please use an affiliated university email address and indicate your affiliation with the University of Aberdeen during submission.
During the submission process, the system will present you with personalised publishing options including any agreement or offer that you may be eligible for. You can indicate your publishing choice during submission, but you are not required to finalize your choice until after acceptance.
Once the journal accepts your article, you will receive an email containing a link to the “post acceptance author journey”.
You will be asked to review your affiliation and funder details. Based on this information, you will see personalised publishing options including the option to publish under the agreement.
Eligible research output:
Research articles, review articles, case reports, data in brief, micro article, original software publication, protocol, replication study, short communication, short survey, video article, practice guideline. Some exceptions apply for the Lancet and Cell Press.
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please visit the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Geological Society of London
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish original research articles in the Geological Society of London's Lyell collection titles open access at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement.
The following 7 hybrid journals and 3 book series are included:
Journal of the Geological Society,
Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology & Hydrogeology,
Petroleum Geoscience,
Geoenergy
Geochemistry: Exploration, Environment, Analysis,
Proceedings of the Yorkshire Geological Society,
Scottish Journal of Geology,
Special Publications,
Memoirs
Engineering Geology Special Publications.
Instructions
Please use an affiliated university email address and indicate your affiliation with the University of Aberdeen during submission.
Eligible research output:
Applies to all output types submitted for publication in 2022-2023.
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please visit the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
IoP
Publishes fully Open Access and 'Hybrid' Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish original research articles in eligible hybrid IoP journals open access at no cost to you. Refer to List A for a list of eligible titles. https://publishingsupport.iopscience.iop.org/questions/eligible-journals-transformative-agreements/
Instructions
Please use an affiliated university email address and indicate your affiliation with the University of Aberdeen during submission.
IoP will automatically identify qualifying articles and inform authors of their inclusion.
Eligible research output:
Research articles, reviews, letters, papers, reviews, and special issue articles.
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please view the publisher webpages or contact open research@abdn.ac.uk
Karger
Publishes fully Open Access and 'Hybrid' Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish original research articles in participating Karger journals open access at no cost to you through the SHEDL transitional Read and Publish Agreement. Our agreement provides full coverage of APC and Authors' ChoiceTM publication fee, including all additional publication costs for articles published in full Open Access and Hybrid journals.
Instructions
Please use an affiliated university email address and indicate your affiliation with the University of Aberdeen during submission.
Include information on grants in the Funding Sources section of the paper.
For further information please view the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Microbiology Society
Publishes fully Open Access and 'Hybrid' Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish original research articles in all Microbiology Society of London journals open access at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement. Both hybrid and fully open access titles are included.
Instructions
Please use an affiliated university email address and indicate your affiliation with the University of Aberdeen during submission.
Include information on grants in the Funding Sources section of the paper.
Eligible research output:
Research and review articles
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please view the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
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Open Library of Humanities
Not-for-Profit Library Publishing Partnership supporting Diamond Open Access
The University of Aberdeen supports The Open Library of Humanities (OLH), a charitable organisation dedicated to publishing open access scholarship with no author-facing article processing charges (APCs). OLH is funded by an international consortium of libraries with the aim of making scholarly publishing fairer, more accessible, and rigorously preserved for the digital future.
The OLH publishing platform supports academic journals from across the humanities disciplines, as well as hosting its own multidisciplinary journal. Free to publish under a Creative Commons licence please see here for the list of journals and how to submit.
Oxford University Press
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish original research articles in participating OUP journals open access at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement. Both hybrid and fully open access titles are included.
Instructions
See this handy guide for authors from OUP
Eligible research output:
Research article, review article, brief report, or case report.
Articles in supplements are not eligible.
Charges other than the article process charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information and to see participating journals please view the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
PLoS (Public Library of Science)
Publishes fully Open Access Journals only
Important Information: The PLOS Agreement has expired December 2023.
Articles submitted to any of the PLOS journals will incur an article processing charge which will be payable by the author.
Information on current fees is available here.
Rockefeller Press
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated to the University of Aberdeen, you can publish open access in any of the Rockefeller University Press three hybrid journals (Journal of Cell Biology, Journal of Experimental Medicine, Journal of General Physiology) at no cost to you. Eligible authors will be automatically identified by the journal.
Instructions
Please use an affiliated university email address and indicate your affiliation with the University of Aberdeen during submission.
Include information on grants in the Funding Sources section of the paper.
Eligible research output:
This agreement covers only research articles
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please visit the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Royal Society
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated to the University of Aberdeen, you can publish open access in Royal Society journals at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement. Both hybrid and fully open access titles are included.
Instructions
Please use an affiliated university email address and indicate your affiliation with the University of Aberdeen during submission.
Select the 'Read & Publish' option.
Eligible research output:
Research and review articles
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please view the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Royal Society of Chemistry
Publishes fully Open access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated to the University of Aberdeen, you can publish open access in Royal Society of Chemistry hybrid journals at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish agreement.
Eligible research output:
All peer reviewed article types are eligible for publication in this agreement which fall into three main categories: full papers, communications, and reviews.
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please view the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Sage
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish open access in 900+ subscription journals in the current SAGE Premier package, as well as in the IMechE Journal Collection and the Royal Society of Medicine Collection, which offer hybrid open access publishing (SAGE Choice) at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement. Fully open access journals are not included.
Instructions
Please use an affiliated university email address and indicate your affiliation with the University of Aberdeen during submission.
Authors in subscription journals do not need to take any further action to benefit from this offer. As soon an institution is set up as part of the agreement, SAGE will contact all eligible authors to inform them of the Open Access agreement with SHEDL and to invite them to the SAGE Open Access Portal to take up the offer as soon as their accepted article has been received into SAGE's Production department.
Author's publishing in fully open access journals will be eligible for a 20% discount on the APC.
Eligible research output:
Original research article and review article
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please visit the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Springer
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen, you can publish open access at no cost to you under the Springer Transitional Agreement. The agreement covers Springer Portfolio journals and Nature Portfolio titles. The APC in open access titles is not covered by the agreement.
Instructions
Use your University email address and select University of Aberdeen as your affiliated institution when submitting your article for publication.
Springer Portfolio Journals
Eligible research output: Original Paper, Review Paper, Brief Communication and Continuing Education
Nature Portfolio Journals
Eligible research output: Original Paper, Analysis, Article, Letter, Brief Communication, Registered Report, Resource, Technical report
Publishing in the Nature Portfolio Journals is capped. Should the cap be reached before the end of the year Springer have confirmed that UKRI funded authors will be permitted to deposit manuscripts accepted for publication in hybrid journals not covered by the agreements in their institutional repository in compliance with funder policy.
Fully Open Access Journals
To publish in fully open access titles such as Scientific Reports, Nature Communications, BMC journals, etc. will incur an article processing charge (APC).
A 15% discount will be offered on the APC. The APC is not covered by the agreement or the institution.
Make sure you have funds available to pay when submitting to a Springer open access journal that requires an APC.
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please visit the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Springer Open
Springer fully open access journals are not covered by the Springer Agreement. A 15% discount on the APC will be offered to University of Aberdeen affiliated corresponding authors later in the Autumn.
Publishing in a fully open access Springer journal will require payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC).
- UKRI, Wellcome and British Heart Foundation funded authors may be eligible to access the block grant. This is dependent on funds being available. Please contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk with your research grant reference number and the journal title to check funds are available before submitting to a fully open access journal.
- Authors who are not eligible for block grant funding will be liable for the APC. Please check with your school that funds are available before submission to a fully open access journal.
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Taylor & Francis
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are a corresponding author affiliated to the University of Aberdeen you can publish original research articles open access in Taylor & Francis hybrid journals, all fully OA journals (except Dove Medical Press titles), F1000 and Routledge Open Research at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement.
Instructions
Please use an affiliated university email address and select University of Aberdeen as your affiliated institution when submitting your article for publication.
Eligible research output:
Original research articles. Other types of paper, such as Editorials, Announcements, and Book Reviews, are not covered by this agreement.
Charges other than the article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please visit the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk
Wiley
Publishes fully Open Access and Hybrid Journals
If you are the responsible corresponding author affiliated with the University of Aberdeen you can publish in any of Wiley's fully gold Open Access or Wiley's hybrid, OnlineOpen journals at no cost to you through the JISC transitional Read and Publish Agreement. Subject to availability of sufficient funds and approval from eligible institutions' Wiley Open Access Account holders.
Instructions
Please use an affiliated university email address and select University of Aberdeen as your affiliated institution when submitting your article for publication.
Eligible research output:
Primary research and review articles, including but not limited to articles classified by Wiley as Case Study, Commentary, Data Article, Education, Lecture, Method and Protocol, Perspective, Practice and Policy, Rapid Publication, Research Article, Review Article, Short Communication, and Technical Note.
Charges other than the author article processing charge (APC) may still apply, please refer to individual journal submission guidelines.
For further information please view the publisher webpages or contact openresearch@abdn.ac.uk