Frontiers in Plant Science APC and Open Access: What CHF 2,950 Buys in Plant Biology Publishing

Like all Frontiers journals, Frontiers in Plant Science is entirely gold open access. There is no subscription track. Every accepted article is published under a CC BY license and is immediately free to read.

This means you can't avoid the APC by publishing behind a paywall. If your paper is accepted, the fee is required. For researchers at well-funded institutions with grant money earmarked for OA, this isn't an issue. For early-career researchers without dedicated OA budgets, it's a real consideration.

Frontiers in Plant Science has an impact factor of approximately 4.1 (2024 JCR), placing it in Q1 for plant science. The journal covers all areas of plant biology, from molecular genetics and genomics to ecology, crop science, and plant-microbe interactions.

Three things set it apart:

1. Volume. With 5,000+ articles per year, it's one of the highest-volume journals in the plant sciences. This reflects a broad scope and relatively high acceptance rate (estimated 40-50%).
2. Speed. Frontiers journals tend to have faster turnaround than traditional society journals. The interactive review model, where authors and reviewers communicate directly, can accelerate the revision process.
3. Open review. Reviewer names are published alongside accepted articles. Review is not blind. Some researchers prefer this transparency. Others find it uncomfortable, particularly junior reviewers evaluating senior authors' work.

The journal is organized into specialty sections (Plant Abiotic Stress, Plant Biotechnology, Plant Breeding, Functional Plant Ecology, and many others). Your submission is handled by section editors with relevant expertise, which generally ensures well-matched reviewers.

Frontiers operates an institutional membership program that differs from the Read & Publish models used by Springer Nature or Elsevier:

Frontiers Institutional Memberships:

• Participating institutions receive 5-15% discounts on APCs
• The discount applies automatically based on the corresponding author's institutional email
• Over 100 institutions globally participate
• The institution pays an annual membership fee in exchange for discounted APCs

Consortium-level agreements:

• UK institutions via Jisc have negotiated Frontiers discounts
• Scandinavian and Dutch consortia have similar arrangements
• Some US consortia offer partial discounts

The key difference from Read & Publish: Frontiers memberships provide discounts, not full APC coverage. Your institution reduces the cost by 5-15%, but you or your grant still cover the rest. This is less generous than Springer Nature's transformative agreements, where the institution pays the full APC on your behalf.

Automatic country-based waivers: Frontiers provides fee support for corresponding authors in low-income countries, following World Bank classifications. The waiver is applied during submission.

Lower-middle-income discounts: Partial fee reductions for authors from lower-middle-income countries. The exact percentage isn't publicly standardized.

Hardship waivers: Available on request, but Frontiers is widely reported to be less generous with discretionary waivers than publishers like Springer Nature or AAAS. A well-funded institution in a wealthy country won't qualify.

Funder arrangements: Some research funders have direct relationships with Frontiers. It's worth checking with your grants office, particularly for EU-funded projects.

Frontiers in Plant Science is fully compliant with every major OA mandate. The CC BY license is the only option, which is exactly what Plan S requires. Articles are automatically deposited in PubMed Central, satisfying NIH requirements without any action from the author.

For plant scientists funded by USDA, BBSRC, or agricultural research councils, gold OA journals like Frontiers eliminate the need to track embargo periods or self-archiving.

The journal fits best when:

1. Your plant science work is solid but not top-tier selective. IF ~4.1 and Q1 ranking provide a respectable venue for good science that doesn't need to appear in Plant Cell or New Phytologist.
2. You want guaranteed OA. No decisions about license types or subscription tracks. Everything is CC BY and immediately accessible.
3. Budget is moderate. At ~$3,200, it's cheaper than most society journals' OA options, though more expensive than PLOS ONE.
4. Speed matters. Frontiers' interactive review model and editorial workflow tend to produce faster decisions than traditional journals.
5. You have a short contribution. Mini Reviews, Opinions, and Brief Research Reports at CHF 1,150-2,150 are genuinely affordable.

Think twice if:

1. Your budget is very tight. PLOS ONE at $1,695 or subscription-track publishing at New Phytologist ($0) may be better options.
2. You need prestige for a career milestone. For tenure cases or major grant applications, a publication in Plant Cell or New Phytologist carries more weight.
3. You're uncomfortable with open review. Reviewer identities are published with accepted articles.
4. Volume concerns bother you or your committee. Some hiring and tenure committees view high-volume journals with skepticism, fairly or not.

• No page charges beyond the APC
• No color figure fees
• Currency risk is real. The APC is priced in CHF. If the Swiss Franc strengthens against your currency between submission and acceptance (which can take 2-6 months), the effective cost increases. A 5% currency swing on CHF 2,950 adds ~$160.

• VAT applies for some European authors, potentially adding 5-8% to the invoice
• Formatting strictness. Frontiers requires specific templates (Word and LaTeX). Non-conforming manuscripts get returned before review, which costs time, not money.

For most plant biology researchers, the choice between Frontiers in Plant Science and its competitors comes down to three factors: budget, prestige needs, and speed.

If your institution covers the APC through a Frontiers membership or grant funds, and you want fast, open, Q1 publication, Frontiers in Plant Science is a solid choice. If cost is the primary concern, look at subscription-track options at New Phytologist or Plant Journal, where you can publish for free.

Whatever journal you choose, a polished manuscript makes a difference at every tier. Reviewers everywhere check statistical methods, figure quality, and logical structure. Frontiers in Plant Science submission readiness check to identify problems before they become revision requests.

Worth paying if:

• Your funder mandates open access (check Plan S / cOAlition S requirements)
• An institutional Read & Publish agreement covers the fee
• Open access visibility meaningfully benefits your research area
• The APC fits within your grant budget

Consider alternatives if:

• The APC is a personal out-of-pocket expense
• A subscription option or green OA (preprint + embargo) satisfies your funder
• Another OA journal with a lower APC would provide similar visibility