Journal of Materials Chemistry A APC and Open Access: RSC Pricing, Gold OA, and Alternatives
Journal of Materials Chemistry A charges ~$2,500-$3,000 for open access. RSC hybrid model, institutional deals, and comparison with ACS and Wiley alternatives.
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Quick answer: Journal of Materials Chemistry A charges roughly $2,500-$3,000 for gold open access. That's significantly cheaper than comparable ACS journals (~$4,500-$5,500) or Wiley titles (~$5,500-$6,000). The Royal Society of Chemistry generally offers lower APCs than its American and German competitors, which makes RSC journals attractive for budget-conscious labs.
What JMCA charges
Component | Details |
|---|---|
Gold OA APC | ~$2,500-$3,000 |
CC BY license | Standard OA option |
Subscription-track | $0 |
Submission fee | $0 |
Color figures | $0 (online and print) |
Journal of Materials Chemistry A is published by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). It's the energy and sustainability branch of the Journal of Materials Chemistry family, which split into three journals (A, B, C) in 2013.
RSC's pricing philosophy is generally more affordable than ACS or Wiley. For a journal with IF ~11, JMCA's APC is roughly half what you'd pay for similar-impact ACS or Wiley titles.
RSC institutional agreements
The Royal Society of Chemistry has Read & Publish agreements, though its network is smaller than Springer Nature's or Elsevier's:
Region / Consortium | Coverage | Notes |
|---|---|---|
UK (Jisc) | Full APC coverage | Strongest RSC coverage (UK is RSC's home market) |
Germany | Some institutions | Growing network |
Netherlands | Select institutions | Via national agreements |
Scandinavia | Finland, Sweden | Various consortium deals |
United States | Limited | No national deal; some individual university agreements |
Australia | Limited | Some CAUL member coverage |
The UK coverage is excellent. RSC is headquartered in London, and virtually every UK university has an RSC Read & Publish deal. If you're at a UK institution, your JMCA APC is almost certainly covered.
Outside the UK, coverage is patchier. US researchers are more likely to have ACS agreements than RSC agreements. Check your library's specific RSC coverage before assuming it's included.
RSC waivers and support
RSC has a multi-layered support system:
Automatic waivers: Authors from lower-income countries receive full APC waivers, aligned with Research4Life classifications.
Partial discounts: Lower-middle-income country authors receive reduced APCs.
RSC Fund for OA: The Royal Society of Chemistry maintains a dedicated fund to support open access publication for researchers who lack alternative funding. This is unusual among publishers and reflects RSC's charitable status.
Hardship waivers: Case-by-case requests accepted. RSC's approval rate for hardship waivers is generally reported as reasonable.
The Journal of Materials Chemistry family
Journal | Focus | APC (USD) | IF (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
JMCA | Energy & sustainability | ~$2,500-$3,000 | ~11 |
JMCB | Biomaterials & biology | ~$2,500-$3,000 | ~6 |
JMCC | Electronics & photonics | ~$2,500-$3,000 | ~6 |
All three share the same APC structure and are covered by the same RSC agreements. If your work spans energy materials and electronic applications, choose based on the primary application rather than cost (since it's identical).
Funder mandate compliance
Funder/Policy | Compliant? | Route |
|---|---|---|
Plan S (cOAlition S) | Yes | Gold OA with CC BY |
NIH Public Access | Yes | PMC deposit after embargo or gold OA |
UKRI | Yes | Gold OA with CC BY (covered by Jisc-RSC deal) |
ERC | Yes | Gold OA with CC BY |
EPSRC (UK) | Yes | Covered by Jisc agreement |
NSF | Yes | Embargo deposit or gold OA |
For UK-funded materials science research (UKRI, EPSRC), publishing OA in JMCA is seamless. The Jisc-RSC agreement covers the APC, and the CC BY license satisfies Plan S. For US-funded work, the free subscription track plus embargo deposit satisfies NSF and DOE requirements.
How JMCA compares to competitors
Journal | APC (USD) | Model | IF (2024) | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
JMCA | ~$2,500-$3,000 | Hybrid | ~11 | RSC |
Chemistry of Materials | ~$4,500-$5,500 | Hybrid | ~7 | ACS |
~$4,500-$5,500 | Hybrid | ~20 | ACS | |
~$5,500-$6,000 | Hybrid | ~25 | Wiley | |
Energy & Environmental Science | ~$2,500-$3,000 | Hybrid | ~30 | RSC |
Nano Energy | ~$4,000-$4,500 | Hybrid | ~17 | Elsevier |
JMCA is the best value per impact-factor-point among energy materials journals. At ~$2,500-$3,000 for IF ~11, it costs roughly half what ACS Energy Letters charges for IF ~20. Energy & Environmental Science (also RSC) offers even better value at IF ~30 for the same APC range, but it's far more selective.
For labs that publish multiple papers per year in energy materials, the RSC ecosystem (JMCA + EES + Sustainable Energy & Fuels) is significantly cheaper than the ACS ecosystem (ACS Energy Letters + Chemistry of Materials + ACS Applied Energy Materials).
Hidden costs
- No page charges or color figure fees. RSC doesn't charge for color in print or online.
- Supplementary data is free to host through RSC's system.
- RSC article templates are required. Formatting to RSC standards before submission saves time during production but doesn't cost money.
- Currency note: RSC often quotes APCs in GBP. The USD equivalent depends on exchange rates. GBP strength means higher effective costs for non-UK authors.
The practical decision
For energy and sustainability materials researchers:
- UK institution? JMCA is almost certainly free via the Jisc-RSC agreement. Choose OA.
- US institution with ACS deal but no RSC deal? ACS Energy Letters or Chemistry of Materials may be cheaper despite higher listed APCs.
- Budget matters most? JMCA and the RSC ecosystem offer the lowest APCs among high-impact materials journals.
- Highest impact? Energy & Environmental Science (same RSC pricing, IF ~30) is the premium RSC option if your work qualifies.
Before submitting, ensure your energy materials characterization and device performance data meet JMCA's standards. Run a free readiness scan to check your manuscript before submission.
Reference library
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Journal Submission Specs
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