Hepatology APC and Open Access: Two Journals, Two Publishers, and the AASLD Split

Here's something that confuses researchers who aren't familiar with AASLD's setup. The society publishes its journals through two different commercial publishers:

This matters for institutional coverage. A Wolters Kluwer agreement at your institution covers Hepatology and Liver Transplantation but tells you nothing about Hepatology Communications, which runs through Wiley. Conversely, a Wiley agreement might cover Hepatology Communications but won't help with the flagship.

Most institutions don't have specific AASLD coverage through either publisher. Wolters Kluwer's Read & Publish network is smaller than Springer Nature's or Wiley's, and society journals are often excluded from standard deals even when they exist.

The bottom line: check with your library about both Wolters Kluwer and Wiley coverage before assuming any AASLD journal APC will be covered.

AASLD launched Hepatology Communications as a fully gold open access journal. Every article is free to read from day one:

• Publisher: Wiley
• Model: Gold OA (always paid)
• APC: ~$2,500-$3,500 (varies by license and article type)
• License: CC BY available (Plan S compliant)
• Impact factor (2024): ~5
• Scope: All areas of hepatology, including clinical, translational, and basic research

Hepatology Communications publishes more articles per year than the flagship, and its scope is intentionally broad. It's designed to absorb quality research that doesn't reach Hepatology's bar, though it also attracts direct submissions from researchers who prefer guaranteed OA.

For Plan S-funded liver researchers, Hepatology Communications offers a simpler path: it's always OA, CC BY is standard, and the APC is lower. The trade-off is a significant impact factor gap (~5 vs ~13), but in a field where the flagship IF isn't stratospheric to begin with, some researchers find this acceptable.

One advantage of the Wiley relationship: Hepatology Communications may be covered by institutional Wiley agreements where they exist. Wiley has a broader Read & Publish network than Wolters Kluwer, particularly in Europe. Check with your library.

Wolters Kluwer handles waivers for Hepatology:

Automatic geographical waivers:

• Authors from low-income countries (World Bank classification) receive full APC waivers.
• Authors from lower-middle-income countries receive partial discounts, typically 50%.

AASLD member benefits:

• AASLD membership doesn't automatically reduce the APC.
• AASLD offers research awards, travel grants, and career development awards that can be used toward publication costs.
• Early-career researchers can apply for AASLD Foundation grants that may cover APCs.

Case-by-case hardship:

• Available at acceptance. Wolters Kluwer states that editorial decisions are independent of payment ability.
• Approval rates aren't published.

Institutional coverage:

• Limited. Wolters Kluwer's Read & Publish agreements exist but are less extensive than Springer Nature's.
• Some European consortia (particularly in Scandinavia and the Netherlands) have Wolters Kluwer deals that may include Hepatology.
• US coverage is fragmented and institution-specific.

For Hepatology Communications, Wiley handles waivers with a similar structure: geographical waivers for low-income countries, case-by-case hardship waivers, and institutional coverage through Wiley agreements where applicable.

For NIH-funded hepatology research, the subscription track plus PMC deposit is the standard compliant route. It's free and straightforward. AASLD deposits accepted Hepatology manuscripts in PubMed Central after the embargo.

Plan S compliance requires gold OA with CC BY. At ~$5,000 in Hepatology or ~$2,500-$3,500 in Hepatology Communications, you have two options within the AASLD family. If cost matters, Hepatology Communications saves you $1,500-$2,500.

Hepatology prioritizes:

• Original research in liver disease biology, pathophysiology, and treatment
• Clinical trials (particularly Phase II-III) in liver disease
• Translational studies connecting bench findings to patient outcomes
• AASLD Practice Guidance documents (invited)
• Large epidemiological studies with novel findings

The journal has a strong bench-to-bedside identity. Pure clinical studies without mechanistic insight often get redirected to Liver Transplantation or Hepatology Communications. Pure basic science without clinical relevance gets redirected elsewhere too.

Hepatology's acceptance rate is roughly 15-20%, which is higher than Gastroenterology (~10-15%) or Journal of Hepatology (~12-15%). This reflects the journal's position as a strong but not ultra-elite title. The desk-rejection rate is still significant at roughly 50-60%.

• License choice affects cost. CC BY is ~$1,000 more than CC BY-NC-ND at Hepatology. If your funder requires CC BY, budget for the higher amount.
• No standard R&P coverage. Plan on paying from grant funds. Institutional coverage through Wolters Kluwer deals is rare.
• Two publishers means two systems. If you're submitting to both Hepatology and Hepatology Communications, the submission platforms, production workflows, and payment systems are completely different.
• Supplementary data requirements are growing. Hepatology increasingly expects detailed supplementary methods, raw data availability, and reproducibility documentation.
• Print color figures may incur charges. Online color is free. Print color through Wolters Kluwer typically carries an additional fee.

Hepatology's cost decision depends on your funding situation and funder requirements:

1. NIH-funded, no immediate OA mandate? Publish via subscription (free). Deposit in PMC after 12 months.
2. Plan S funder? Budget ~$5,000 for CC BY at Hepatology, or ~$2,500-$3,500 at Hepatology Communications.
3. Prioritize impact factor? Journal of Hepatology (IF ~26) costs ~$5,100 for OA. It's a bigger investment but a bigger platform.
4. Budget-constrained? Liver International offers a respected home at a lower APC with potential Wiley institutional coverage.
5. Paper has GI implications? Consider Gut (IF ~24) or Gastroenterology (IF ~29) for broader reach.

The strategic question for liver researchers is whether Hepatology's IF (~13) justifies its APC (~$4,000-$5,000) when Journal of Hepatology (IF ~26) is only slightly more expensive. For AASLD-affiliated researchers who value the society connection, Hepatology remains the natural home. For everyone else, the cost-benefit analysis favors looking at alternatives.

Before submitting to any elite hepatology journal, make sure your manuscript's structure, statistical approach, and translational framing meet expectations. Run a free readiness scan to identify issues before they lead to desk rejection.

For the latest fees and submission guidelines, visit Hepatology's official author page at Wolters Kluwer.