Article Processing Charges (APCs) are fees charged by publishers to make articles in scholarly journals open access, specifically to cover the costs of publication and journal administration. However, many scholarly journals, particularly those supported by universities, publish open access with no costs at all to researchers.
Reference
Transformative Agreement (TA)
A Transformative Agreement (TA), sometimes used interchangeably with Read & Publish agreement (R&P), is an agreement with a publisher that takes the library’s existing expenditure on subscriptions and repurposes it to cover both reading and publishing in that publisher’s journals. If an academic publishes in a journal that is included in one of the R&P agreements, they may be able to publish direct to open access with no transactional article processing charges.
The Libraries has entered a number of transformative agreements to help HKU authors publish research articles in open access with costs covered. During the agreement period, when publishing in the eligible journals with the respective publishers, corresponding authors affiliated with HKU can publish articles in open access at no cost for them.
Further details of the agreement terms are listed in the below section.
Reference
The table below presents a summary of the publishers that offer APC discount to the HKU authors.
|
Publishers (In alphabetical order; Click on the name for more details) |
APC Discount to HKU authors |
|---|---|
ACS (American Chemical Society)  |
APC Free (until 31 December 2028 ; Limited quota) |
| ASME (The American Society of Mechanical Engineers) |
APC Free (until 31 December 2026) |
| Bentham Science Publishers | 50% off |
| BioMed Central |
15% off (1 March 2025 – 28 February 2026) |
| Bioscientifica |
APC Free (until 31 December 2025) |
| Cambridge University Press |
APC Free (until 31 December 2026) |
| Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press |
APC Free (until 31 December 2025) |
| Company of Biologists |
APC Free (until 31 December 2025) |
| De Gruyter - Selected journals only |
APC Free (until 31 December 2025) |
| Elsevier - Selected hybrid journals |
APC Free (until 31 December 2027; Limited quota) |
| IOP Publishing |
APC Free (until 31 December 2025) |
| Karger |
APC Free (until 31 December 2026) |
| Microbiology Society |
APC Free (until 31 December 2025) |
| Oxford University Press - Selected hybrid journals |
APC Free (until 31 December 2027) |
| Portland Press |
APC Free (until 31 December 2025) |
|
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) |
Discounted price at $5,495 for immediate open access (Regular fee: $5,995) |
| Rockefeller University Press (RUP) |
APC Free (until 31 December 2026) |
| The Royal Society |
APC Free (until 31 December 2027) |
| SCOAP3 |
APC Free (until 31 December 2027) |
| SPIE |
APC Free (until 31 December 2025) |
| Springer Nature - Springer Hybrid Journals |
APC Free (until 31 December 2026; Limited quota) |
| SpringerOpen | 15% off |
| Wiley |
APC Free (until 31 December 2025; Limited quota)
|
HKU Libraries is one of the member libraries of JULAC (Joint University Librarians Advisory Committee), which is a partner of SCOAP3 - Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics. Based on the central support of OA publishing in the participating journals, all authors worldwide can publish their works in Open Access without any financial or administrative barriers.
HKU authors can enjoy a 50% discount on Open Access Article publishing fees in all Bentham Science subscription and open access journals. This discount also applies to publishing of Open Access books and book series with Bentham Science.
HKU has a Supporter Membership with BioMed Central. If the affiliation of the submitting author (author who uses the BMC online submission system) is HKU, then there will be a 15% discount. Therefore if you are one of the co-authors on a paper, please check with your other co-authors to determine which of their affiliations if any, have Supporter or Prepaid Memberships with BMC. Then the co-author of the affiliation with the most BMC discount could submit the article through BMC's online submission system. BMC writes,
When submitting a manuscript, either via a journal home page or via our online submission system, you will be identified as belonging to a member institution and automatically granted an article processing charge waiver if you are within your institution's firewall. If you are at home or at an external terminal when submitting your paper, you can still claim a waiver by starting your affiliation to your institution.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 
Because HKU Libraries have a paid subscription to this journal, the publishers will allow a discount on article processing charges (APC). After the discount, the APC is $5,495 for Immediate Open Access. However, there is no discount for Delayed Open Access.
Please make sure the corresponding author lists “University of Hong Kong” as the affiliation. Then, the system of PNAS can match it to HKU subscriber record and add the discount. The corresponding author should receive an estimate of publication charges. You are also encouraged to check for the discount so that PNAS can make any corrections if needed.
Because of the HKU Supporter Membership of BioMed Central (above), HKU authors (submitting author) may also claim a 15% discount in SpringerOpen journals. Submission process is the same as in BMC above.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
The submitting corresponding author who is a current staff member or a student at University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 15 January 2025 - 31 December 2028 |
| Type of publication | Articles |
| Journal coverage |
ACS journals |
| Quota limit | Limited free APC credits. First come first served. |
More details on the ACS' Read and Publish agreements.
During submission via the ACS Publishing Center, as a corresponding author, select HKU (The University of Hong Kong) from a drop-down box and use your affiliated university email address (@hku.hk or @connect.hku.hk).
Use HKU in the body of the manuscript as the corresponding author’s affiliation.
Complete the Journal Publishing Agreement to publish open access and retain copyright. Click on the “Order Open Access” link in the JPA Tool to submit the open access funding request.
Choose the "Yes, I wish to publish open access as per the agreement" option.
Click "Order Open Access".
At the RightsLink system (personal account required), select the "Seek Funding from the University of Hong Kong" option, and complete the checkout process, even for $0, to submit your funding request for approval.
Note: Once the quota is used up, the "Seek Funding from the University of Hong Kong" option will not be available.
The Libraries will be alerted of your request. If the funding request is approved, your work will be published as ACS open access at no additional cost to you.
More details on the ACS' Read and Publish agreements.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
The submitting corresponding Author who is a current staff member or a student at University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 April 2025 - 31 December 2026 |
| Type of publication |
Peer review research articles |
| Journal coverage |
ASME journals |
| Quota limit | Unlimited free APC credits. |
More details on the ASME webpage.
More details on the ASME webpage.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding Author who is a current staff member or a student at University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2025 - 31 December 2025 |
| Type of publication |
Articles |
| Journal coverage |
|
| Quota limit | Unlimited free APC credits. |
More details on the Bioscientifica's Read and Publish agreements.
More details on the Bioscientifica's Read and Publish agreements.
Cambridge University Press - Read and Publish Agreement
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
The corresponding author of the submitted article is affiliated with HKU at the point of acceptance, including staff and students. The manuscripts have to be accepted within the agreement period. In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2022 - 31 December 2026 |
| Type of publication | Only applies to 5 types of article - “research article”, “review article”, “Rapid communications”, “brief report”, and “case report”. Please refer to the detailed descriptions. |
| Journal coverage | Over 370+ OA and hybrid journals are covered in the Read & Publish agreement. Discover a list of eligible CUP journal titles. |
| Quota limit | No quota limit for individual author as long as your articles are accepted within the agreement period. |
More details on the CUP Read and Publish Agreement with JULAC, Hong Kong.
Procedures
Source: The Cambridge University Press (https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/open-access-policies/read-and-publish-agreements)
Step 1
Manuscript Submission and Peer Review
Go to the journal homepage page on Cambridge Core and click on “Submit your article”. Then, complete a submission form on the journal’s Online Peer Review System (OPRS). After submission, your manuscript will go through the editorial and peer review process.
Note: Please use your HKU affiliation, address, and email for manuscript submission in order to obtain the APC waiver.
Step 2
Manuscript Acceptance and Publication Decision
Once your manuscript has been accepted, follow the instructions in the acceptance email to complete an Author Publishing Agreement. If publishing in a hybrid journal, ensure you select 'Gold Open Access'.
On the agreement form, select your choice of Creative Commons (CC) license for your article to be published.
Step 3
APC Transaction Process
An email will be sent to you in 48 hours from Rightslink®, the third party system used by CUP to transact APCs. Follow the instructions on the email to register a Rightslink account if you do not have one. Login to the Rightslink system, choose “Seek funding from the University of Hong Kong” to apply for the full APC waiver and submit your request for approval*.
Note: Quota is unlimited. Once your eligibility has been verified by the system, you will be able to obtain the approval to proceed.
Step 4
Publication in Open Access
You will be notified once your funding request has been approved. Your work will undergo the publication process and be available online in open access.
You can also refer to the author guides by the Cambridge University Press for more information on the workflow of open access publishing.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press - Transformative Agreement
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding authors affiliated with HKU at the point of acceptance are eligible for full waiver of APC for accpeted articles published in eligible journals In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2023 - 31 December 2025 |
| Type of publication | Fully peer-reviewed research, review, and case-study articles |
| Journal coverage |
|
| Quota limit | Unlimited within the agreement period |
More details on the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press' Transformative Agreement.
Procedures
There is no change in submission procedures.
Please refer to the “Information for Authors” link at the journal homepage to which you wish to submit your article. After your article is accepted for publication, you will then be informed of your Open Access publishing options.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding Authors who are affiliated with the University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2024 - 31 December 2025 |
| Type of publication |
Original research paper relating to original research (I.e., This does not include review papers, commentaries, correspondence, corrections, additions, posters or any other content or material) |
| Journal coverage |
Five journals: |
| Quota limit | Unlimited |
More details on The Company of Biologists' Read & Publish Open Access agreements.
1.
During article submission, make sure you enter the University of Hong Kong as the affiliation of the corresponding author, which is used to determine eligibility for waived article processing charges.
When providing your contact details, include your institutional email address, as well as the full name and address of your institution, including country.
2.
If you are submitting an article to Development, Journal of Cell Science or Journal of Experimental Biology, in the Open Access section, check the [Gold Open Access/CC-BY] and [Read & Publish fee waiver] boxes.
Note: Only CC-BY is available for the open access license.
3.
When your article is accepted, the publisher will send you a link to the RightsLink system and a fee-waiver will be applied.
You will receive a confirmation email as soon as your eligibility is confirmed.
For more details, check the guide for authors.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding Author who is a current staff member or a student at University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2025 - 31 December 2025 |
| Type of publication |
|
| Journal coverage |
|
| Quota limit | Unlimited free APC credits. |
More details on the De Gruyter's Open Access agreements.
More details on the De Gruyter's Open Access agreements.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding Author who is a current staff member or a student at University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2025 - 31 December 2027 |
| Type of publication | Limited to:
|
| Journal coverage |
Selected hybrid journals only: List of selected hybrid journals
Notes:
|
| Quota limit | Limited free APC credits. First come first served. |
More details on the Elsevier's Read and Publish agreements.
For more details, check the process guide.
IOP Publishing - Read & Publish Agreement
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
"Corresponding Author" affiliated with the University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance Notes: The “Corresponding Author” is the author who submits a manuscript to and communicates with the journal. In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2023 - 31 December 2025 |
| Type of publication |
Eligible article types include: |
| Journal coverage |
IOP hybrid & gold open access journals Details of the journal titles can be found at: journal titles (List A, B, C & D), ECS Advances and ECS Sensors Plus |
| Quota limit | Unlimited free APC credits |
More details on IOP Publishing's Transformative Agreements.
1.
Submit manuscript to an eligible IOP Publishing journal via ScholarOne (IOP Publishing journals' submission system).
2.
At step 4 (Author Information), enter author information. Make sure the affiliation is clearly stated on the submission form. Use the autofill to provide institution name.
There will be only one corresponding author, who submits the manuscript and communicates with the journal during the process.
3.
Progress to the Step 6 (Policies & Information).
Decide open access choice.
Only in the event that the article is found to be ineligible, the selection here will apply. If you do not wish to pay an APC to publish open access, select ‘No’.
4.
No matter which choice is made in the above step, IOP will always check whether the article is eligible under an institutional agreement. If so, there will be a separate notification email with a subject line ‘Open access options for your article: article ID’.
5.
During the peer review process, or after article is accepted, sign the open access copyright form to publish under a CC-BY licence.
Request for APC waiver will be handled.
Note:
Most IOP Publishing journals uses ScholarOne.
A small number of the journals do not use ScholarOne. For those, the submission process will differ but eligible articles will still be identified and authors will receive relevant notification e-mails.
View a quick guide on the procedure by IOP Publishing.
Karger - Publish and Access Agreement
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding authors affiliated with HKU at the point of acceptance are eligible for full coverage of APC and Author's ChoiceTM publication fee and all additional publication costs for articles published in full Open Access and hybrid journals (subscription journals with an Open Access option). In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2021 - 31 December 2026 |
| Type of publication | Eligible article types include: “original research articles”, “review articles”, “proceedings”, “letters”, and “editorials”, etc. |
| Journal coverage |
All Karger’s Hybrid and Gold Open Access Journals except Kompass Journal (by invitation) Details of the eligible journal titles. |
| Quota limit | Unlimited free APC credits as long as your articles are accepted within the agreement period. |
More details on the Karger Publish and Access Agreements.
Procedure
Step 1
In acceptance email, click on the green button ‘Select Publication Route’ to visit the Submission Platform.
Click on ‘Log in to MyKarger’ and enter your email and password.
Step 2
On your dashboard go to ‘Accepted’. Identify the article.
Click on ‘Select publishing option’.
Step 3
Eligibility for Open Access publication cost coverage will be displayed if applicable. Click on ‘Accept Waiver’ to publish without costs.
Step 4
Read, accept, and confirm the License Agreement.
View a quick guide on the procedure by Karger.
Microbiology Society - Read & Publish Agreement
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding Author affiliated with the University of Hong Kong on the date of submission In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2023 - 31 December 2025 |
| Type of publication |
Articles |
| Journal coverage |
Microbiology Society hybrid & full open access journals/platforms Details of the titles |
| Quota limit | Unlimited free APC credits |
More details on Microbiology Society's Read & Publish Agreements.
1.
Submit your manuscript to an eligible journal. Provide affiliation and your HKU email in the manuscript.
In the Editorial manager submission system, enter your "@hku.hk" email and affiliation.
2.
During submission, indicate your eligibility ("Yes") for fee-free Open Access publication via a Publish and Read agreement.
3.
Submit article for Open Access publication ("Yes") and click "View Publication Charges" to confirm eligibility.
4.
After the APC request is handled, you will receive an email confirmation that the article is covered for fee-free Open Access publication.
5.
An acknowledge will be shown on the bottom of the first page of the published paper:
"This article was made open access via a Publish and Read agreement between the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author's institution."
Note:
If you have any queries, please contact journals@microbiologysociety.org with the subject line:
Publish and Read query (and provide your manuscript number).
View a quick guide on the procedure by Microbiology Society.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding Author who is a current staff member or a student at University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2025 - 31 December 2027 |
| Type of publication |
Limited to research article, review article, case report or brief report Articles in supplements (i.e. specifically designated issues supplementary to a journal’s usual publication, often sponsored by third parties) are not included |
| Journal coverage |
Selected hybrid journals only. Full list of selected hybrid journals
Notes:
|
| Quota limit | Unlimited free APC credits. |
More details on the OUP's Read and Publish agreements.
For more details, check: the author guide.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding Author affiliated with the University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2023 - 31 December 2025 |
| Type of publication | Unlimited |
| Journal coverage |
All 7 Portland Press journals. |
| Quota limit | Unlimited free APC credits |
More details on Portland Press's Read & Publish Agreement.
1.
Submit manuscript to a Portland Press journal.
Validate affiliation by clicking on "Validate Institution". In the pop-up window, search for The University of Hong Kong and save.
2.
Progress to the Detailed Information tab of the submission form. The system will check the affiliation against the list of institutional agreements in RightsLink.
A message will be shown for institution holding an active Read & Publish agreement with Portland Press.
3.
After article is accepted, request for APC waiver will be handled.
Download a quick guide on the procedure by Portland Press.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Primary Corresponding Author who is a current staff member or a student at University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2025 - 31 December 2026 |
| Type of publication |
Article, Brief Definitive Report, Communication, Hypothesis, Methods and Approaches, Report, Technical Advances and Resources, and Tools |
| Journal coverage |
|
| Quota limit | Unlimited free APC credits. |
More details on the Rockefeller University Press' Read and Publish agreements.
For more details, check the author guide.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding Author who is a current staff member or a student at University of Hong Kong at the point of submission In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2025 - 31 December 2027 |
| Type of publication |
Articles |
| Journal coverage |
|
| Quota limit | Unlimited free APC credits. |
More details on The Royal Society's Read and Publish agreements.
More details on The Royal Society's Read and Publish agreements.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding Author who is a current staff member or a student at University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2025 - 31 December 2025 |
| Type of publication |
Articles |
| Journal coverage |
|
| Quota limit | Unlimited free APC credits. |
More details on the SPIE's Read and Publish agreements.
More details on the SPIE's Read and Publish agreements.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Corresponding Author who is a current teaching/research staff member or a student at University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2024 - 31 December 2026 |
| Type of publication |
Limited to: |
| Journal coverage |
Springer Hybrid Journals: List of journals
Notes:
|
| Quota limit | Limited free APC credits. First come first served. |
More details on Springer Nature’s transformational agreements.
1.
When you are the corresponding author, once your article has been editorially accepted by an eligible hybrid journal, you will receive an invitation to complete the publishing agreement.
2.
In Open Access information page, read basic information about publishing the article open access, including the Article Processing Charge (APC).
3.
Confirm the affiliation provided on submission for eligibility.
Note:
You can change the affiliation if you have moved or it is incorrect. Changing affiliation here only affects identification for open access agreements, not the affiliation listed on the published article.
4.
Select institution (the University of Hong Kong) and the system will identify possible eligible agreements.
If you are publishing an appropriate article type in an included journal, you can ask the institution to cover the publishing costs.
5.
Read confirmation information about the agreement. Click "Next" to publish your article under the agreement between HKU and Springer Nature.
Note:
An option to opt out of the agreement and publish under a subscription model is available at this stage.
6.
Read the summary of the information you have provided and the agreements selected. Change incorrect information, if any, at this stage.
If the quota under the agreement is used up, you will be informed here.
7.
Your request will be processed by the Libraries.
8.
Once your request is approved, proceed to agree to publish, sign Licence to Publish (LTP), and confirm the completed license.
Note:
In case of rejection, the author has the option to publish open access with his/her own funding or publish traditionally non-open access.
More details on Springer Nature’s transformational agreements.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Responsible Corresponding Author affiliated with the University of Hong Kong at the point of acceptance In the manuscript submitted, the affiliation (or one of the affiliations) of the corresponding author must be the University of Hong Kong. |
| Agreement period | 1 January 2023 - 31 December 2025 |
| Type of publication |
Limited to article types which are primary research and review articles, including but not limited to: |
| Journal coverage | Selected Wiley fully and hybrid open access journals Details of the eligible journal titles can be found at: – Wiley hybrid open access journal – Wiley fully open access journals |
| Quota limit | Limited free APC credits. First come first served. |
More details on Wiley’s transformational agreements.
The application procedures for I. Wiley hybrid open access journals and II. Wiley fully open access journals are different. Please scroll down for details.
1.
After article accepted by a Wiley hybrid open access journal, register or log in to Wiley Author Services.
Click on the ‘Manage article’ button.
2.
Confirm author role.
Only one author can be selected as the Responsible Corresponding Author, who is the only person responsible for signing the license. His/her affiliation is used to determine eligibility for APC coverage.
3.
Add/edit any new/existing funder(s).
4.
Confirm/enter institutional affiliation. Select from the drop down menu.
When there is an exact match for eligible institutional affiliation, an eligibility message will show on the main homepage of Author Services, as well.
If affiliations with multiple institutions were entered, select which institution is most appropriate to cover the open access fees.
A purple ‘Open Access’ box will also be shown to alert the author that he/she has triggered the eligibility criteria for funding based on their affiliation.
5.
Select Copyright Ownership.
6.
Confirm open access by clicking "Yes, make my article open access".
7.
Select a Creative Commons license. Sign and submit the license.
After signing and submitting license for the article, a funding request will be submitted to the institution for review and approval.
8.
If the request is approved, there will be a confirmation email.
If the request is denied, there will be an email asking the author to pay for open access. If open access is not paid for, the article will be published as a subscription article.
Download a quick guide on the procedure by Wiley.
1.
During submission*, you will be asked to confirm your institutional affiliations to accompany your manuscript. This information will also be used to determine your eligibility for funding through your institution.
2.
If the APC request is approved, there will be a notification email.
3.
When the article is accepted, sign the license agreement. No payment steps are necessary.
Download a quick guide on the procedure by Wiley.
