PLoS New Fee Structure

[Ann Okerson <ann.okerson@yale.edu>]

Of possible interest to readers of this list.
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PLoS Publishing Model
Transforming the Landscape

http://www.plos.org/journals/model.html

To provide OA, PLoS journals use a business model in which our 
expenses - including those of peer review, of journal production, 
and of online hosting and archiving - are recovered in part 
through a publication fee to the authors or research sponsors for 
each article they publish. Now, with 3 years of operational 
experience to draw on, it is time for PLoS to adjust this model 
so that our publication fees reflect more closely the costs of 
publication. From 1st July 2006, the publication fee for our 
flagship journals PLoS Biology and PLoS Medicine will be $2500; 
for our community journals PLoS Computational Biology, PLoS 
Genetics, and PLoS Pathogens it will be $2000. PLoS Clinical 
Trials is priced at $2500.

The new prices compare favorably with the fees that authors often 
pay to publish their work in traditional journals (between 
$1000-$3000 for color charges, excess pages, reprints etc). And, 
in such journals, distribution is not unlimited as it is for 
PLoS, but is restricted to subscribers and those whose 
institutions have paid license fees.

The value that authors obtain from our publication fees includes: 
unlimited space so that scientists can tell their story in full; 
unlimited access so that anyone interested in the work can read 
it; and unlimited use so that researchers can build most 
effectively on the achievements of others.

A "no questions asked" fee waiver exists for authors who do not 
have funds to cover publication fees. In addition, editors and 
reviewers have no access to authors' payment information, and 
hence inability to pay will not influence the decision to publish 
a paper. These policies ensure that the fee is never a barrier to 
publication.

Our aim is to develop a sustainable open access publishing 
operation. We will continue to exploit new technology to improve 
the cost-efficiency of our publishing process and, as a non 
profit organization, we will ensure that any future increases in 
the publication fees will be as reasonable as possible.

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