Publication fees

An article processing charge (APC), or publication fee, covers open-access publication in a specific journal. The fee is usually paid by the author, the author’s institution or the research funder.

Helsinki University Library has funding to support open publishing at University of Helsinki. The Library is also a member of the FinELib consortium whose contracts with publishers include article processing charges.

Scholars can use the open access publishing agreements included in Helsinki University Library’s journal subscriptions. Alternatively, they can apply to Helsinki University Library for funding to cover the article processing charges of open access journals.

More information about OA publishing fees and discounts for researchers at the University of Helsinki can be found on Open Access -guide.

Remember also self-archiving as an option for open access publishing.

Basic information for the author

Publishers can charge publication fees during the publication of articles or books. The fee can cover expenses concerning open publication, the right to use images, editing or research material. 

An APC (Article Processing Charge) is a fee that the publisher charges for making an article openly accessible to the public in a journal issue. The fee is charged to the author of the article. 

The amount of APCs varies between journals and publishers. 

The APC is usually paid by the author, the author’s institution or the research funder.

Helsinki University Library has funding to support open publishing at University of Helsinki. The University’s services for open publishing help authors with publication fees. 

A researcher can apply for funding from the Library to cover publication fees. Some of the journal agreements that Helsinki University Library has concluded with publishers also cover APCs. 

Publishing in hybrid journals will not be funded.

 

  1. Check if the journal is included on journal lists of library's agreements with some publishers (Elsevier, Oxford University Press, Sage, SpringerNature, Taylor & Francis, Wiley). If so, follow the publishers instructions.
  2. If the journal is not included on Library's agreements check if the requirements for funding are fullfilled.
  3. If the journal meets the requirements fill in the APC Fund Request (log in with UH user account). Library checks the request during next working day and informs about the payment of the APC.
  4. Remember also self-archiving (Green OA) as an open access route. You may use the Library's Deposit Service.

Need to know more? 

You can find more information on open publishing opportunities on Helsinki University Library's Open Science website.

More information on article processing charges