BMJ APC and Open Access: Two Journals, Transparent Pricing, and Strong Institutional Coverage

The BMJ has been ahead of most medical publishers on open access. It was one of the first major medical journals to support open access options, and BMJ Publishing Group launched BMJ Open in 2011 as a dedicated gold OA journal years before many competitors created their own OA companion titles.

This history matters because it shapes the BMJ's relationship with funders and institutions. UKRI, the UK's main research funder, treats BMJ publications favorably. The Jisc Read & Publish agreement covers BMJ titles comprehensively for UK institutions. And the BMJ has actively worked with cOAlition S to ensure compliance rather than resisting OA mandates (contrast this with NEJM's initially skeptical stance).

The result: publishing OA in the BMJ is smoother and cheaper than at most peer journals.

The BMJ is hybrid. Most clinical research published in the flagship follows the subscription route:

1. Subscription track (default, $0): Your article is published on bmj.com behind the paywall. Institutional subscribers and BMJ members have access. The BMJ makes most research articles free to access after a variable embargo period.
2. Gold OA track (~$4,500): Immediate open access under a Creative Commons license from day one.

The BMJ has one of the most generous embargo policies among major medical journals. Research articles are often made freely available on bmj.com within months, and some content types are free from publication. The exact timing varies by article type and funder.

The BMJ's subscriber base includes virtually every UK medical institution, most academic medical libraries worldwide, and a large number of individual clinician subscribers. With over 400,000 weekly readers, your paper reaches clinicians regardless of the access model.

BMJ Open is one of the largest and most established gold OA medical journals. Some key facts:

• APC: £2,163 (~$2,850 USD)
• Model: Fully gold OA (every article is open from day one)
• License: CC BY
• Impact factor (2024): ~7.0
• Articles per year: Over 3,000
• Acceptance rate: Roughly 40-45%
• Review criteria: Methodological soundness, not perceived novelty

BMJ Open's acceptance rate is much higher than the flagship (which desk-rejects over 90% of submissions). The journal evaluates papers on scientific rigor and methodological quality rather than novelty or perceived impact. This makes it an excellent option for well-conducted studies that don't fit the flagship's narrow editorial focus.

At $2,850, BMJ Open is also one of the cheapest gold OA options among journals with an IF above 5.0. For Plan S compliance on a budget, it's hard to beat.

BMJ has strong institutional coverage, particularly in the UK:

The Jisc agreement is the strongest. UK-based researchers can publish OA in the BMJ flagship and specialty journals with the APC automatically covered. This makes the BMJ particularly attractive for UKRI-funded researchers at UK institutions, where the entire OA pathway is covered.

Outside the UK, coverage is less uniform. US institutions have been slower to establish BMJ agreements compared to Springer Nature or Elsevier deals, partly because BMJ's portfolio is smaller. If you're at a US institution, check with your library. Don't assume that having Springer Nature or Elsevier agreements means BMJ is covered too, as these are separate publishers with separate deals.

BMJ Publishing Group has a clear waiver policy:

Automatic geographical waivers:

• Full APC waiver for corresponding authors from low-income countries (World Bank classification).
• 50% reduction for lower-middle-income countries.

Case-by-case waivers:

• Available for authors who face financial hardship and have no institutional or funder support.
• Requests are considered after acceptance.
• Editorial decisions are independent of waiver requests.

NHS and clinical waivers:

• Some BMJ titles offer reduced rates or exemptions for NHS-funded research. This is specific to UK health service research and reflects BMJ's roots as the journal of the British Medical Association.

No BMA membership discount on APCs:

• British Medical Association membership doesn't reduce the APC for open access publication.

The BMJ's waiver system is more accessible than Cell Press or NEJM. The automatic geographical waivers follow the same World Bank framework that Springer Nature uses, making it predictable and systematic.

For UKRI-funded researchers, the BMJ is one of the easiest journals to publish OA in. The Jisc agreement covers the APC, the journal supports CC BY natively, and there's no ambiguity about compliance. This is a smoother experience than publishing at NEJM or The Lancet, where institutional coverage is thinner and OA policies are less established.

For NIH-funded work, the green route works: publish via subscription (free), deposit in PMC after the embargo. BMJ's embargo period varies by title but is generally in the 6-12 month range.

BMJ Publishing Group runs over 60 specialty journals. Some of the strongest:

Gut (IF 23.0) and Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (IF 20.3) are world-class in their fields. Their APCs are competitive, and Jisc coverage applies. If your work fits a specialty journal better than the generalist flagship, these are excellent options with similar or lower costs.

The BMJ is transparent about fees. No submission charges, no page fees, no color figure surcharges. But keep these in mind:

• Currency fluctuations: APCs are priced in GBP. If your grant is in USD or EUR, exchange rate movements can change the effective cost by 5-10%. Lock in the rate at acceptance if possible.
• BMJ Open is always paid: There's no subscription track at BMJ Open. Acceptance means you owe £2,163. Budget for this if you're submitting there.
• VAT for UK institutions: UK institutions pay 20% VAT on APCs. The institutional agreement through Jisc typically handles this, but if you're paying out of pocket, a £3,000 APC becomes £3,600.
• Reprints: Physical reprints are charged separately. Rarely needed in 2026, but some institutions request them.
• Data sharing costs: BMJ has strong data sharing requirements for clinical trials. Depositing datasets in approved repositories is usually free, but preparing data for sharing requires staff time.

The BMJ offers one of the simplest cost calculations in top-tier medical publishing:

1. UK institution with Jisc deal? Publish OA for free in the flagship or any covered BMJ title. This is automatic.
2. Plan S funder, outside UK? Pay ~$4,500 for flagship OA or $2,850 for BMJ Open. Both satisfy cOAlition S.
3. NIH-funded? Publish via subscription (free). Deposit in PMC after the embargo.
4. Budget-conscious but need gold OA? BMJ Open at $2,850 is one of the best values in medical publishing for a journal with IF >5.
5. No mandate, no deal? Publish via subscription. The BMJ's massive readership ensures your work reaches clinicians.

The BMJ's editorial focus matters for your submission decision. The journal prioritizes research with direct implications for clinical practice, health policy, or public health. It publishes more systematic reviews and observational studies than NEJM or The Lancet. If your paper's strength is a practice-changing RCT, target NEJM or Lancet. If it's a well-designed cohort study or policy analysis, the BMJ may be a better editorial fit.

Before submitting to the BMJ or any top medical journal, make sure your manuscript meets the editorial bar. Run a free readiness scan to identify structural and framing issues before your paper reaches the editors. For more on how publication costs compare across the top medical journals, see our NEJM cost breakdown.

For current APC rates and author guidelines, visit the BMJ's official author hub.