Fee policy
Article publishing charges
Open access provides free and immediate online access to academic research for anyone in the world to read, distribute, and re-use.
We receive payment in the form of article publishing charges (APCs) on articles that pass peer review and are accepted for publication by our external and independent editorial boards. APCs are an alternative business model to traditional subscription fees, with the benefit that all content is openly and freely available for anybody to read and download, accelerating scientific collaboration and innovation.
APCs are our only revenue stream and cover the cost of all our operations. APCs are usually covered by the authors’ research organisations or by funding grants.
Our APC rates are competitive and enable us to provide industry-leading services for our authors, editors, and readers. We also invest the revenue from APCs into launching new journals and supporting fields with lower levels of funding, so that we can offer the benefits of open access to as many researchers as possible.
Our business model has allowed us to publish high quality, impactful journals that consistently rank among the most cited in their fields.
Wonford press' APCs
Our APC pricing spectrum is sustainable and inclusive. This means that for journal pricing we consider journal maturity and open access funding availability in different research communities. In other words, more mature journals and richer communities support and subsidize new journals and communities with less research funding. This means that all research communities can benefit from open access publishing.
Fee discounts
Our fee support program ensures that all articles that pass peer review can benefit from open access – regardless of the author’s field or funding situation.
Our funding model is inclusive, and a portion of our income is used to support authors unable to pay APCs. Authors and institutions with insufficient funding are eligible for discounts to their article publishing charges, as long as their article passes our independent and rigorous peer review.
What our APCs cover
APCs are our sole revenue stream, and they cover the publishing services we offer which allow us to publish certified research of the highest quality. We are transparent about how our APCs are invested.
Our team
APCs pay for our people – highly skilled professionals who run our editorial programs, build our technology, and deliver premium services on our custom-built open science platform.
Journal operations: Our journal teams manage every aspect of journal operations and growth, from editorial board management, to commissioning high-quality content, handling article collections, and supporting our editors.
Review operations: We have clearly defined quality standards for research and peer review.
Our review operations team ensures that quality standards are adhered to during peer review, that the appropriate experts are assigned to the manuscripts, and that editors are supported at every step of the process. They also provide rigorous feedback to the authors so that each stage of the review process advances in an effective and timely manner.
General administration
APCs also cover general operations, including human resources and accounting, as well as costs of administrative functions and office rental.
Inclusive growth
Investment in growth supports new publication initiatives across the academic spectrum. Higher APCs in mature journals subsidize the launch of new journals before they become self-sustainable.
Honoraria
Chief editors are awarded honoraria for their work. This is strictly independent from acceptance decisions.
The cost of rejections
Wonford press does not set acceptance or rejection rates. Instead, our editorial policy is based on clearly defined quality standards and certifies objective quality, validity, and rigor of research. Articles that pass rigorous peer review performed are accepted – articles that do not are rejected.