Fee waivers to support researchers
Our goal is to effectively bridge the digital research divide and ensure that publishing in open access journals is accessible for authors in developing countries.
We grant waivers in cases of genuine need, therefore we automatically apply APC waivers or discounts to those articles in gold open access journals for which all author groups are based in a country eligible for theResearch4Life program(opens in new tab/window). When publishing in fully open access journals, we fully waive all APCs for authors from 69 countries (Group A(opens in new tab/window)) and give a 50% discount for authors from 57 countries (Group B(opens in new tab/window)).
If an author group from a non-Research4Life country cannot afford the APC to publish an article in a gold open access journal and they can demonstrate they had no research funding, we will consider individual waiver requests on a case-by-case basis.
Our waiving policy does not apply to hybrid journals. Authors publishing in hybrid journals can publish under the subscription model at no cost and make use of theElsevier sharing policy.
For patients and caregivers, we will consider individual waiver requests on a case-by-case basis.
Open access agreements and funding body arrangements
Elsevier supports over 2,000 institutions globally to publish open access through transformative agreements.
We have establishedarrangementsto help authors comply with the open access requirements of the major funding bodies and how they can be reimbursed for publication fees when publishing in Elsevier journals.
Reimbursem*nt policy
To ensure Elsevier does not charge twice for the same article, we will fully refund an APC when alternative funding is provided for the open access article. For example, where an open access article is part of a Special Issue which is later made available in its entirety on an open access basis, such as through sponsorship by an organization, we will fully refund individual APCs paid by an author or on their behalf.
Elsevier will offer a credit for use against a future open access publication in the following circ*mstances:
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A delay in delivering open access: When an article is not available open access on ScienceDirect by the time the issue in which the article is included is published in its final version, we will offer a credit for use against a future publication with Elsevier.
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Incorrect licensing: When an article is made freely available on Science Direct in final published form but does not display the author’s chosen user license due to our error, we will offer a credit for use against a future publication with Elsevier.
See AlsoFree Paper Publication
No refund or credit will be offered in the following circ*mstances:
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Article retraction or removal: Elsevier has provided publishing services.The later retraction or removal of the article is typically for reasons beyond our control, and does not detract from the publishing services provided, nor from our ongoing maintenance of the scientific record, e.g., corrections to the record.
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Delays resulting from editorial decisions or author changes: These are a standard part of the publishing process.
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License changes: Where an author requests a change to the user license they initially chose we will endeavor to respond to these within 5 working days.
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Circ*mstances beyond our control: This may include, for example, where natural or other disasters prevent us from fulfilling our obligations.
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Article unavailable on another platform: Elsevier’s responsibility is to ensure that the definitive published versions of articles we publish are available on ScienceDirect, or any successor platform, in ways that are accessible to all.We provide APIs to enable third party platforms to manage this process themselves, for example to identify and pull gold open access articles or to update their platforms to reflect changes subsequently made to the article, such as author license choice changes, errata, and retractions. Elsevier is not responsible for ensuring third party repositories maintain accurate metadata and full-text.
