Reputable scientific journals usually charge a fee for review of the article by the editorial board and reviewers, and a publication fee is also required. But there are publications that have a business model that allows a researcher to publish their work for free. We have prepared a material that will help answer the most popular request from scientists - is it possible to publish an article in a ranking European publication for free?
Business models of scientific journals
It should be understood that it is impossible to publish an article in a reputable journal absolutely free of charge. There must be a source of funding to maintain a staff of editors and reviewers, and a budget to pay for website maintenance, issues, and other publication costs.
This can come from the author, readers, sponsors or advertisers. Who exactly finances publication in a scientific journal depends on the business model of the publication itself.
Let us take a closer look at the business models of scientific journals and their peculiarities:
|
Business Model |
Main characteristics |
|
Traditional model |
Publication is free for the author. The article placement fee is charged to the readers, not to the scientist. Access to scholarly materials is provided by subscription. Journals sell subscriptions to universities, libraries and individual researchers, providing access to published articles for a fixed fee. These subscriptions can be annual, semi-annual or quarterly. Note that articles receive fewer citations due to limited access. |
|
Open Access |
This business model assumes that the publication fee is paid by the author. Open Access allows scientists to publish their research free of charge to readers, which significantly increases the visibility and citation of their work. There are a total of 4 types of Open Access: Gold, Bronze, Green and Platinum. |
|
Hybrid model |
Combines the two models mentioned above. Publishers provide open access for a part of scientific papers, which implies payment of a publication fee by the author or sponsor. Another part of articles is financed by subscriptions from readers or scientific organizations. |
Types of Open Access Open Access
Open Access allows scientists to publish their research free of charge to readers, which significantly increases the visibility and citation of their work.
There are 4 models of Open Access, each of which is characterized by some kind of publication fee for the author or its complete absence. Let's consider each of them.
Gold ("Gold" access)
Publication fees are mostly paid by the author or scientific institution. Free access to scholarly material is offered to readers.
In some cases, this type of access implies a hybrid model, in case a special Creative Commons license is not available for all publications.
Examples of publishers that offer Gold access: PLOS, BioMed Central, Springer Open.
Bronze ("Bronze" access)
The essence of this model assumes free placement of scientific content by publishers for a limited period of time. In this case, articles do not have a Creative Commons license.
Green access
Authors place copies of their articles in institutional or subject-specific repositories after publication in traditional journals. This may be before (preprint) or after (postprint) review and publication.
Examples of repositories: arXiv, PubMed Central, ResearchGate.
Platinum Access
This type of Open Access does not charge the author or publisher. This model is suitable for academic institutions that assume the cost of publication within their existing budget.
Ranked European publications for free publication
Some of the most prestigious and ranked scientific publications in Europe offer free publication opportunities through financial support programs, fellowships and grants:
- Springer Nature: offers free publication programs for authors from developing countries.
- Elsevier: provides vouchers for publication fees through various grant programs.
- Wiley: publishes a number of open access journals where authors can apply to cover publication fees.
Tips from “Scientific Publications”: how to publish a scientific article for free
- search for grants and scholarships: many universities and research organizations offer financial support for publication fees
- project participation: involvement in international research projects may involve funding for publication costs
- publishing in Green or Platinum open access journals: publications with this business model do not charge publication fees to the author.
- attract sponsors: financial support can be provided by academic and commercial organizations, other institutions and associations that are interested in providing funds to conduct and publish research
- use resources to find ranked journals with free publication opportunities:
- Open Research Europe is a platform with open access to scientific publications in all disciplines. The project is funded by the European Commission and does not involve author fees. Reviewer-approved publications are indexed in global databases such as PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): a directory of peer-reviewed open access journals where you can find relevant publications. The catalog collection includes more than 14 thousand journals and more than 5 million articles.
We will be glad if our advice will help you in realizing your research goals. If you need help with finding a suitable ranking publication or with publishing an article that you want to place in the Scopus, Web of Science, or Google Scholar databases, the experts at Scientific Publications are ready to provide full support for the publication process of your research. Leave a request on the site in any convenient way for you, and we will contact you as soon as possible.
