ACS Offers Open-Access Option To Authors

SCIENCE PUBLISHING

In October, American Chemical Society journal authors will have the option of paying to immediately provide free online access to their articles on the society's website. Authors will also be able to post electronic copies of their sponsored articles on personal websites and institutional repositories. Fees for the program will range from $1,000 to $3,000 per paper, depending on whether the author is an ACS member or is affiliated with an institution that subscribes to ACS journals.

The new ACS AuthorChoice option "underscores the society's willingness to experiment with innovative models to broaden access to highly valued, peer-reviewed research" while upholding editorial standards, says Brian D. Crawford, senior vice president responsible for the journal publishing program of ACS, which also publishes C&EN. "The fee was established in light of the society's actual costs incurred in the peer review and publication of an article."

Other publishers, including Elsevier and Oxford Journals, are experimenting with author-supported open access (C&EN, July 3, page 8). Oxford last week released the results of the first year of its trial. Senior Editor Claire Bird noted that "the highest uptake has been in areas where more funding for open access is available, such as the life sciences." Some 10% of life sciences authors paid for open access. Overall, authors have sponsored almost 400 papers for open access in the 49 journals that are part of the trial.