How to make your research open access

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How to comply with the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications

On this page:  Archive in an open repositoryOpen access journals |  Author fees/Library APC discountsResearch data 

Video: Making your work open access: Psst it doesn't have to cost money (presentation given October 2022).

File Transcript (RFT, 33 KB)

Make your articles open: 2 options

1. Archive in an open repository

Deposit a version of your publication in an open access repository such as eScholarship@McGill repository

Fill out the eScholarship deposit form

2. Open access journals

 

Paying author fees/ library APC discounts

McGill Library does not have a fund for author fees. However, there are additional options for funding:

McGill Library also has received through agreements with several publishers, the following APC discounts:

Inclusion on this list does not equal an endorsement by McGill Library. 

**NOTE: PLEASE USE YOUR @MCGILL.CA OR @MAIL.MCGILL.CA EMAIL WHEN SUBMITTING FOR DISCOUNTS**

Publisher discount eligible party additional details
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) - Science Advances 15% Corresponding author PDF icon Science Advances APC discount process (PDF, 190KB)
American Chemical Society (ACS) $250 USD  Corresponding author This is in addition to any personal membership discounts. Authors must self-identify when submitting.
BMJ Case Reports  100% of fellowship fee (does not apply to separate OA fee) Corresponding author

Please email schulich.library [AT] mcgill.ca to receive the code.

Note: Must list 'McGill University' as your affiliation when using the code. 

Canadian Science Publishing

100% (certain journals only)

25% (additional journals)

Corresponding author

100% discount applies to corresponding authors in: 

  1. Biochemistry and Cell Biology
  2. Canadian Journal of Physics
  3. Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
  4. Genome
  5. Transactions of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering

25% discount applies to all CSP Hybrid journals. Note this discount does not apply to the following Gold OA journals: Arctic ScienceDrone Systems and Applications, and FACETS.

Identify yourself during submission as being affiliated to McGill. 

Cambridge University Press 100% Corresponding author

Applies to 5 article types: Research Articles, Review Articles, Rapid Communication, Brief Reports, Case Reports. Opt-in after article is accepted. Check journal eligibility.  See also PDF icon choosing an open license with Cambridge (PDF, 3.8 MB). Articles must be accepted before December 31, 2024.
** As of January 1, 2024: Agreement excludes journals in “Cambridge Prisms” and “Research Directions” 

Company of Biologists 100% Corresponding author

From January 1 2024 - December 31 2026 the following Journals have no APC charges for McGill corresponding authors: 

  • Disease Models & Mechanisms
  • Biology Open
  • Development
  • Journal of Cell Science
  • Journal of Experimental Biology

Consult this Guide for authors for more information. 

Elsevier Gold Journals 20% Corresponding author Authors will be presented with this option during the submission process. See list of eligible Elsevier titles(XLS, 102 KB) as well as these instructions for obtaining the discount.
Elsevier Hybrid Journals as of January 1 2024 100% Corresponding author Authors will be presented with this option during the submission process (like for Gold Journals above). 

*any titles that convert from Hybrid to Fully Gold OA within the term of the agreement (2024-2026) will remain eligible for the full APC waiver.
Karger 100% Corresponding author Articles submitted after January 1, 2022. Kompass collection journals and Partner Publications are excluded. See PDF icon How to submit to Karger (PDF, 5.2 MB)
IOP (Institute of Physics) 100% Corresponding author Guide for authors. File IOP list of eligible journals (XLS, 37 KB)
MDPI 10% Affiliated author List McGill as your affiliation during submission. Applies also to open book publishing with MDPI.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) Reduction in fee on immediate OA Corresponding author Publications charges (see authors from institutions with site-licenses)
Sage Choice Journals (Sage Choice journals) 100% Corresponding author

Several exceptions.  See also choosing a Creative Commons license.  A select set of journals have page charges which are separate fees from APCs. See PDF icon SAGE journals with additional charges (PDF, 24 KB).

List of Sage Choice journals

Sage Open Access Journals 40% Corresponding author

How to request a discount: SAGE Open Access portal guidelines (PDF, 6.1 MB)
Eligible list as of Jan. 1 2024: Open Access Journals

Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) 15% Corresponding author Applies to hybrid journals only. The discount is applied automatically upon accepted, articles identified via author affiliation. 
Taylor & Francis 25% Corresponding author Applies to Open Select journals. Select McGill as affiliation to obtain discount.
Wiley 100% Corresponding author

See List of Eligible Wiley Journals (xlsx). See also instructions on Wiley's site. Must be eligible at point of acceptance, make sure to use McGill institutional email during submission. Articles must be accepted for publication before December 31, 2024

These discounts are subject to change at any time. 

Contact us with any questions. 


Your research data

Information on McGill's support for research data management, sharing, and archiving is on the Research Data Services pages

Additional resources

McGill Neuro Open Publishing page

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