Clinical Infectious Diseases APC and Open Access: OUP's Flagship ID Journal with R&P Options

Clinical Infectious Diseases is one of the most influential journals in infectious disease medicine. Published since 1979, it's the clinical arm of the IDSA's journal portfolio (alongside The Journal of Infectious Diseases, which focuses more on basic and translational ID research, and Open Forum Infectious Diseases, which is fully gold OA).

The journal covers the full spectrum of clinical infectious disease:

• Treatment trials and outcomes research for bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections
• Antimicrobial resistance surveillance and stewardship
• Diagnostic method evaluation
• Epidemiology and outbreak investigation
• HIV/AIDS clinical management
• Healthcare-associated infections
• Travel medicine and tropical infectious diseases
• IDSA clinical practice guidelines

CID published approximately 500-600 articles in 2024. With an impact factor around 11 (2024 JCR), it's the second-highest impact ID journal after Lancet Infectious Diseases (~36). The journal's influence extends beyond academia into clinical practice, as IDSA guidelines published in CID directly shape treatment protocols at hospitals worldwide.

The desk-rejection rate is approximately 50-60%. The editors prioritize clinical relevance over novelty. A well-designed observational study addressing a real clinical question can succeed at CID even without a randomized design, as long as the methods are sound and the findings are actionable.

CID is hybrid:

1. Subscription track (default, $0): Published behind the OUP paywall. IDSA members and institutional subscribers have access. No cost to the author.
2. Gold OA track ($3,500-$4,500): Immediate free access under a Creative Commons license.

IDSA membership includes CID access, meaning most infectious disease specialists can read the journal regardless of their institution's subscriptions. This somewhat reduces the urgency of OA, since the core clinical audience is already covered through IDSA membership or institutional access.

That said, OA broadens the readership to public health professionals, pharmacists, infection control teams, and researchers in low-resource settings who may not have IDSA membership or institutional subscriptions. For guidelines and policy-relevant research, OA has real practical value.

Oxford University Press has been building its Read & Publish network steadily. CID is included in most OUP transformative agreements:

OUP's R&P network is smaller than Springer Nature's but larger than Cell Press/Elsevier's coverage for excluded titles. The trend is positive, with new agreements being added regularly. If your institution has any OUP deal, CID is very likely included.

The US situation is more favorable for OUP than for some publishers. Several US library consortia have negotiated OUP agreements, and major research universities often have individual OUP deals. Check with your library specifically about OUP coverage.

OUP's waiver framework for CID:

• Research4Life Group A: Full automatic APC waiver for corresponding authors at institutions in low-income countries.
• Research4Life Group B: Significant discount (typically 50% or more) for lower-middle-income countries.
• Hardship waivers: Case-by-case consideration for authors who can demonstrate financial need.
• IDSA membership: Does not include APC discounts. IDSA membership provides journal access and conference benefits but doesn't reduce the OA publishing cost.

For infectious disease researchers in endemic regions who are studying diseases that disproportionately affect their own communities, the waiver system is especially relevant. OUP's geographic waiver policy helps ensure that researchers from countries with high infectious disease burdens can publish in the field's top clinical journal.

For NIH-funded ID researchers, the green OA route is available and free. Publish via subscription, deposit the accepted manuscript in PMC after a 12-month embargo. OUP can facilitate this deposit, though authors should confirm the process with the editorial office.

The Gates Foundation mandate is worth highlighting because many global ID research projects are Gates-funded. CID's gold OA option with CC BY satisfies Gates requirements. The APC can be charged to Gates grants as an eligible expense.

IDSA membership provides several benefits relevant to publishing, though not APC discounts:

• Journal access: Members receive CID and JID as part of their membership.
• Guideline authorship: IDSA clinical practice guidelines are published in CID. Being involved in guideline committees raises your profile in the journal's editorial ecosystem.
• Conference networking: IDWeek, the IDSA annual meeting, provides opportunities to connect with CID editors and reviewers.
• Review opportunities: Active IDSA members are more likely to be invited as peer reviewers, which builds familiarity with the journal's standards.

If you're an infectious disease specialist who publishes regularly, IDSA membership is valuable for career reasons well beyond any publishing benefit.

• Tax: VAT applies in EU jurisdictions, adding 15-25% to the listed APC.
• Supplementary data: CID papers often include large supplementary datasets, antibiograms, and clinical protocol details. Hosting is free through OUP, but preparation is time-intensive.
• Statistical review: The journal may request independent statistical review during the revision process. Biostatistics consulting fees can add $500-$2,000 depending on the complexity.
• Rapid communication premium: Some OUP journals charge different rates for expedited review or rapid publications. Check current CID policies if you need fast turnaround for outbreak or pandemic-related data.

For infectious disease researchers considering CID:

1. Check OUP institutional coverage. Your library's OUP agreement likely covers CID. Ask specifically.
2. IDSA member? Membership doesn't discount the APC, but it does provide journal access and community benefits.
3. NIH/CDC-funded? The free green route (subscription + PMC deposit after 12 months) works well.
4. Gates-funded global health research? Gold OA with CC BY satisfies the Gates mandate. The APC is an eligible grant expense.
5. Choosing between CID and Lancet ID? If your paper has the impact for Lancet ID (IF ~36), aim there. But CID at roughly half the cost with better institutional deal coverage is the pragmatic choice for most clinical ID papers.
6. Paper doesn't quite reach CID bar? Consider Open Forum Infectious Diseases as the sister OA journal at lower cost.

Clinical infectious disease papers need clear clinical endpoints, well-characterized patient populations, and actionable conclusions. CID editors won't accept a purely descriptive study without a clinical takeaway. Run a free readiness scan to make sure your manuscript's clinical narrative and statistical framework are solid before submitting.

For the latest fee schedule and author guidelines, visit the Clinical Infectious Diseases author page.