 Explanation of BioMed Central's article-processing charges
BioMed Central has article-processing charges because it does not have subscription charges for its research content, believing instead that immediate world-wide barrier-free open access to the full text is in the best interests of the scientific community.
The article-processing charges pay for
- immediate world-wide barrier-free open access to the full text
- developing and maintaining electronic tools for publication
- preparation in various formats for on-line publication
- securing inclusion in PubMed as soon as possible after publication
- securing full text inclusion in permanent archives such as PubMed Central
- securing inclusion in CrossRef (enabling electronic citation in other journals that are available electronically)
Article-processing charges apply to all articles submitted to journals published by BioMed Central, and subsequently accepted.
How much is BioMed Central charging?
BioMed Central's standard article-processing charge is £995 (€1105/US$1595). Journals which charge a different amount are shown below.
There is a surcharge of £15 for any payments for individual articles that are not made by credit card.
Are any taxes included in this charge?
No. Authors resident in any of the countries of the European Union have to add Value-Added Tax (VAT, currently 15%). Institutions paying the fee on behalf of the author can in most cases have the VAT refunded, or, by providing BioMed Central with their VAT registration number*, avoid paying VAT altogether. (*except UK)
Why is the article-processing charge not based on the number of pages in the article?
The size of an article is a poor indicator of the actual amount of work involved in preparing the article for publication. A more useful discriminator might be the state an article is in when submitted, and its complexity, but the lack of objective tools to measure these has led us to conclude that a flat fee is the fairest approach at this stage.
The submitting author is responsible for making or arranging the payment (for instance, via his institution).
How do I pay?
The author(s) must confirm, on submission, that they will pay should the article be accepted for publication. When a manuscript is ready to be accepted, following peer review, the author will be notified and should provide payment by one of the following methods:
- Payment by check: must be received within 30 days of the manuscript being ready for acceptance.
- Payment by credit card: the credit card details can be provided using a secure form, at the time the manuscript is ready for acceptance. No charges will be processed until the article is accepted for publication, and the author will be notified of any charges that have been made.
- Payment by purchase order: details must be must be received within 30 days of the manuscript being ready for acceptance.
- Payment upon invoice: to be paid within 30 days of receipt of an invoice.
In all cases a receipt will be sent after the payment has been received.
Authors whose institution is a BioMed Central member maybe entitled to a discounted article-processing charge or a full waiver.
| 
