Author Services

To better support open access publishing for Vanderbilt authors, the Jean & Alexander Heard Libraries has negotiated agreements with several publishers which waive or discount the article processing charge (APC), reducing the barrier to publish OA. Each agreement varies in terms of included journals, article content types, and the number of articles are covered annually. Check the publisher tab for additional details.

Instructions for Authors:

• Only articles by a Vanderbilt-affiliated corresponding author are eligible. This typically includes faculty, staff, and students.
• To ensure that publishers identify eligible articles, corresponding authors must use a Vanderbilt or VUMC email address and should select Vanderbilt University as the affiliated institution.
• Articles must be accepted during the term of the agreement and authors must be in eligible status at the point of acceptance.
• Color, image, or page fees are not covered and remain the author's responsibility.
• Articles are published under a Creative Commons license. Type offered will vary by journal and funding agency requirements.
• Each publisher has a unique list of eligible journals. Check the journal finder on this page or the publisher page for additional information.
• Certain agreements have a limited number of covered articles. The journal list will indicate if we are getting close to the annual limit or if the agreement is close to expiring. Articles accepted after this number is reached can be published OA through self-funding.

For help or to schedule a research consultation, please Ask a Librarian.

Use this journal search tool to identify journals covered under VU agreements that waive the APC or provide a discount. Direct link: https://search.scifree.se/vanderbilt.

• Vanderbilt participates in the ASM's Subscribe to Open (S2O) program, which relies on sufficient institutional subscriptions to convert gated journals to open access volume-by-volume. If enough libraries continue to subscribe to a journal at a level to sustain its operational costs, the current year’s volume becomes open access. If there is not enough support, then the traditional paywall is maintained. No APCs are charged.

Vanderbilt's agreement starts January 1, 2025 and covers the article processing charges (APCs) for open access publishing in American Thoracic Society journals. See journal list above for eligible titles. The corresponding author must be currently affiliated with Vanderbilt University.

Vanderbilt's pilot agreement with the AMA commences on January 1, 2025 and waives the article processing charges (APCs) for articles published open access in most JAMA Network journals. Articles are published under a Creative Commons license. Please see the journal finder for a list of included titles.

Per publisher, JAMA is not included in the agreement as content automatically becomes open access after six months. JAMA Network policy allows authors to deposit their accepted manuscript in a public repository of their choosing immediately on the day that the manuscript is published by the JAMA Network.

Vanderbilt's agreement starts January 1, 2025 and covers the article processing charges (APCs) for open access publishing in Mary Ann Liebert journals. The corresponding author must be currently affiliated with Vanderbilt University.

Vanderbilt's agreement with Optica commences on January 1, 2025 and waives the article processing charges (APCs) for articles published open access on a first come, first served basis. Articles are published under a Creative Commons license.

Vanderbilt's agreement starts January 1, 2025 and covers the article processing charges (APCs) for open access publishing in Biochemical Society/Portland Press journals.

Vanderbilt's agreement begins January 1, 2025 and waives the article processing charge (APC) for accepted articles published open access in hybrid journals. Authors who have articles accepted in Publisher-owned fully open access journals are entitled to a 20% discount off the APC. The author must opt-in when the publisher offers it in the Journal Acceptance email. As with all agreements, best practice to be deemed eligible is to use one's Vanderbilt or VUMC email address. More details can be found here.

Authors are responsible for any submission fees, page or color page charges.