Publishing open access can significantly increase the reach, visibility, and potential impact of your scholarly work. It’s also a requirement for many funding agencies, including Canada’s Tri-Agency.
Open Access Journals
Some publishers charge authors an Article Processing Charge to publish open access. The options below include ways to avoid paying these fees.
No Fee Journals
Search the Directory of Open Access Journals to find thousands of peer-reviewed journals that do not charge any fees to authors or readers.
Funding Support for Article Processing Charges
MacEwan faculty in full-time appointments that include research or creative activity may be eligible for the Scholarship Support Grant through the Office of Research Services. This grant covers article processing charges for journals listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals, up to $2,500 CAD.
Publishing Discounts and Waivers
MacEwan University has agreements with several publishers that offer discounts or full waivers on article processing charges for corresponding authors affiliated with the university.
Tip: Always submit using your @macewan.ca email and identify your institutional affiliation clearly to qualify.
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Cambridge University Press (100% discount)
Includes all research articles, review articles, rapid communications, brief reports, and case reports published in Cambridge University Press journals.
Authors must identify as affiliated with MacEwan University during the submission process to have the waiver applied automatically. For more information, visit Step-by-Step Guide to Publishing Open Access in Cambridge Journals.
Valid until: December 31, 2026
Canadian Science Publishing - 5 journals (100% discount)
Includes Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Canadian Journal of Physics, Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, Genome, and Transactions of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering.
Authors must identify as affiliated with MacEwan University when submitting to these journals using ScholarOne to receive a waived open access publishing fee.
Valid until: December 31, 2027
Canadian Science Publishing (25% discount)
Includes all subscription-based journals offering open access options not listed above. This offer does not include the following fully open access journals: Arctic Science, Drone Systems and Applications, and FACETS.
Authors must identify as affiliated with MacEwan University when submitting using ScholarOne to receive a reduced open access publishing fee.
Valid until: December 31, 2027
JMIR Publications - full open access journals (10% discount)
Includes journals listed in this PDF of included full open access JMIR titles.
Authors must identify as affiliated with MacEwan University when submitting to these journals and complete the JMIR Publications discount form to receive a discount code for a reduced open access publishing fee. For more information, visit JMIR Publications Publish Open Access for Less.
Valid until: December 31, 2026
Oxford - hybrid journals (100% discount)
Includes journals listed in this PDF of included hybrid titles.
Authors must identify as affiliated with MacEwan University when submitting to these journals. Authors will select an affiliation from an autocomplete list populated by Ringgold IDs. For more information, visit Read & Publish Agreement Author Guide.
Valid: February 1, 2024 - December 31, 2026
Oxford - full open access journals (10% discount)
Includes 155 fully open access journals. Includes journals listed in this PDF of included full open access titles.
Authors must identify as affiliated with MacEwan University when submitting to these journals. Authors will select an affiliation from an autocomplete list populated by Ringgold IDs. For more information, visit Read & Publish Agreement Author Guide.
Valid: February 1, 2024 - December 31, 2026
Royal Society of Chemistry (100% discount)
Includes all Royal Society of Chemistry journals.
During the article submission process use your @macewan.ca email and upon acceptance identify as affiliated with MacEwan University when prompted, to confirm your eligibility for the fee waiver. For more information visit Your guide to article licensing as a Read & Publish author
Valid until: December 31, 2027
Royal Society Journals - 7 journals (100% discount)
Includes Philosophical Transactions B, Proceedings B, Biology Letters, Interface, Interface Focus, Open Biology, and Royal Society Open Science.
During the submission process, use your @macewan.ca email, state your institution and select the ‘Read & Publish’ option. For more information, visit Introducing Royal Society Read & Publish.
Valid until: December 31, 2027
Sage Choice Journals (100% discount)
Includes subscription-based journals offering open access options as part of the Sage Choice program. Includes journals listed in this PDF of included Sage Choice titles. This offer excludes a few journals that do not participate in Sage Choice.
Authors must identify as affiliated with MacEwan University during the submission process to have this discount applied. SAGE will contact eligible authors and invite them to the SAGE Open Access Portal as soon as their accepted article has been received. For more information visit the SAGE Open Access Portal User Guide.
Valid until: December 31, 2026
Sage Gold Open Access Journals (40% discount)
Includes fully open access journals listed in this excel file of included SAGE journals.
Authors must identify as affiliated with MacEwan University during the submission process to have this discount applied. SAGE will contact eligible authors and invite them to the SAGE Open Access Portal as soon as their accepted article has been received. For more information visit the SAGE Open Access Portal User Guide.
Valid until: December 31, 2026
Taylor & Francis (25% discount)
Includes journals listed in this excel file of Open Select titles.
Authors should select the Open Access Publishing option when submitting an article. When the article processing charge quote is generated, authors should select their affiliated institution from the drop-down menu. The discount will be automatically applied. For more information visit the Open Access Agreements Information.
Valid until: December 31, 2026
Wiley (100% discount)
Includes journals listed in this PDF of included Wiley hybrid titles. Fully open access (Gold) journals are excluded from this offer, but are eligible for a 10% APC discount.
Upon article acceptance, the corresponding author will begin the Author Services process within the Wiley Open Access Account system. A message notifies the author upon login that their accepted article is eligible for open access at no cost. Authors must identify themselves as affiliated with a participating institution in order for their article to be verified. For more information, visit the Author Services and Wiley Open Access Accounts Workflow.
Valid until: December 31, 2026
Visit the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN)'s Read and Publish Agreements page for more information on most of the options listed above.
Open Access Books
Open Access Repositories
Even if you publish in a subscription-based journal, you may still be able to share your work openly by depositing your author-accepted manuscript (the final draft after peer-review and revisions but before copyediting) in a repository.
Learn more at Research Repositories.
Journal Hosting Service
Want to start a journal?
MacEwan Open Journals is a free hosting service for peer-reviewed journals, undergraduate publications, and conference proceedings run by our community. Journals are hosted using Open Journal Systems (OJS) software and supported by the Library.
Publishing Glossary
The following terms are commonly associated with open access publishing.
- Article processing charges (APC): A fee some journals charge authors to publish open access.
- Author-accepted manuscript: The version of a scholarly article that has been peer-reviewed and revised, but has not yet undergone copyediting or typesetting by the publisher.
- Embargo period: A delay before a paper can be made openly available in a repository.
- Hybrid journal: Offers both subscription-based and open access publishing options.
- Open Access Types:
- Gold: Freely accessible, but often requires an APC.
- Diamond/Platinum: Free for both authors and readers.
- Green: Authors share a version of their work in a repository (sometimes after an embargo).
- Repository: A searchable database for storing and sharing research outputs.
- Transformative journal: A subscription-based journal committed to transitioning to full open access.
Questions? We're Here to Help
Contact:
digitalscholarship@macewan.ca.
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