Funding open access publication
We believe that journals must publish articles based on their contribution to the literature rather than an author's funding situation. The editorial process at Cambridge – including the decision of whether or not to accept an article for publication – is always independent of an author's decision whether or not to publish Gold Open Access (OA), as well as being independent of how any publication costs for a Gold OA article are covered.
Institutional open access agreement
If your institution has an open access publishing agreement with Cambridge, you may publish your article Gold OA at no cost to you (specific terms and conditions vary). To find out if you're eligible, please use our eligibility checker. Please note that books and Elements are not included in these agreements.
Institutional open access agreement
If your institution has an open access publishing agreement with Cambridge, you may publish your article Gold OA at no cost to you (specific terms and conditions vary). To find out if you're eligible, please use our eligibility checker. Please note that books and Elements are not included in these agreements.
Cambridge Open Equity Initiative
The Cambridge Open Equity Initiative supports authors in low- and middle-income countries who wish to publish their research open access in our journals but do not have access to funding.
Cambridge Open Equity Initiative
The Cambridge Open Equity Initiative supports authors in low- and middle-income countries who wish to publish their research open access in our journals but do not have access to funding.
Research4Life support
Authors from low- and middle-income countries, who are not covered by an institutional open access agreement or the Cambridge Open Equity Initiative, may be eligible for support under the Research4Life scheme. Corresponding authors of research articles based in 'Group A’ countries will automatically have all Gold OA publishing costs covered by Cambridge. Authors based in 'Group B' countries will be asked to contribute an article processing charge (APC) at 50% of the usual rate, but may request a full waiver if needed.
See the bottom of this page for a full list of countries in each group.
Research4Life support
Authors from low- and middle-income countries, who are not covered by an institutional open access agreement or the Cambridge Open Equity Initiative, may be eligible for support under the Research4Life scheme. Corresponding authors of research articles based in 'Group A’ countries will automatically have all Gold OA publishing costs covered by Cambridge. Authors based in 'Group B' countries will be asked to contribute an article processing charge (APC) at 50% of the usual rate, but may request a full waiver if needed.
See the bottom of this page for a full list of countries in each group.
Direct payment of an Article Processing Charge
In all cases, authors may cover the costs of Gold OA publication through direct payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC).
Direct payment of an Article Processing Charge
In all cases, authors may cover the costs of Gold OA publication through direct payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC).
Discretionary waivers and discount
Any corresponding author of a research article who does not have coverage through any of the above routes, or third-party funding designated for the payment of an article processing charge (APC), can make a request for an APC discount or full waiver.
In cases where Gold OA is an option but not a requirement, Gold OA publication costs may be covered by an institutional open access agreement or funded by the COEI, but other waivers and discounts for APCs will generally not be granted. In these cases authors also have the option to publish their article without choosing Gold OA. Articles that are not published Gold OA may still be shared in accordance with our Green Open Access policy.
Discretionary waivers and discount
Any corresponding author of a research article who does not have coverage through any of the above routes, or third-party funding designated for the payment of an article processing charge (APC), can make a request for an APC discount or full waiver.
In cases where Gold OA is an option but not a requirement, Gold OA publication costs may be covered by an institutional open access agreement or funded by the COEI, but other waivers and discounts for APCs will generally not be granted. In these cases authors also have the option to publish their article without choosing Gold OA. Articles that are not published Gold OA may still be shared in accordance with our Green Open Access policy.
Process for coverage of Gold OA publication costs
During the publication process, eligibility for institutional open access agreements or the Cambridge Open Equity Initiative will be automatically established. Other APC support, such as waivers, discounts (including society member discounts), or coverage under the Research4Life scheme, can be applied by the author when prompted during the production process.
If an author is entitled to multiple discounts, the highest discount available will be applied. Please note that we cannot apply multiple discounts to an APC.
Further information
More information can be found on our publishing open access page or by contacting openresearch@cambridge.org .
Research4Life countries
Research4Life Group A - APC Discount 100%
- Comoros
- Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
- Ghana
- Lebanon
- Marshall Islands
- Micronesia (Federated States of)
- Nauru
- Republic of Moldova
- Saint Helena
- Timor-Leste
- Tokelau
Research4Life Group B - APC Discount 50%
- Botswana
- Colombia
- Egypt
- Georgia
- Namibia