The Lancet APC and Open Access: Publication Costs, Elsevier Deals, and Funder Compliance

For the hybrid Lancet titles (including the flagship), the subscription track costs authors nothing. Your paper appears in The Lancet with full indexing, full citation tracking, and the same editorial treatment. The only difference is access: subscription-track papers are behind the paywall, although authors who choose the green open access option can deposit the final accepted version in any repository 6 months after publication, and the published paper is then made free to access on The Lancet's websites 6 months after publication.

Most Lancet papers have historically been published via subscription. The shift toward OA is accelerating but not yet dominant for the flagship.

For the gold OA titles (Lancet Global Health, Lancet Public Health, etc.), there is no subscription option. Every article is OA, and full-length peer reviewed articles carry an APC (listed at USD 7,860 for most of these titles, with exceptions noted above). If you can't pay, you need a waiver.

The Lancet Group says Elsevier has reached open access agreements with several international institutions and consortia, and that Lancet journals are included in some of them, not all. It also offers gold open access in its hybrid journals to authors whose research is funded by a listed funder, and where the corresponding author is affiliated with one of its agreed institutions and the specific Lancet journal is included in that agreement.

What this means for you:

• Your Elsevier institutional deal may not include the Lancet journal you are targeting, so confirm the specific title.

• The listed funders include Wellcome, UKRI, the NIH, the European Research Council, and Cancer Research UK, among others.

• If neither route applies, the Lancet Group says it will always make it possible to publish accepted papers and offers support through discounts and waivers.

Bottom line: Don't assume your Elsevier institutional deal covers every Lancet title. Call your library and ask specifically about the Lancet journal you are targeting before committing to OA.

The Lancet's approach to waivers is more accommodating than some publishers, partly because of its global health mission:

For gold OA Lancet journals:

• Eight gold OA Lancet journals participate in Elsevier's Geographical Pricing for Open Access (GPOA), which tailors prices according to gross national income per capita for authors from low-, middle-, and upper middle-income countries.

• For The Lancet Global Health, eBioMedicine, and eClinicalMedicine, GPOA has been in place since January 2024; for the other participating journals it applies to papers accepted after 27 October 2025. The exact price per article is calculated from the country affiliations of all authors.

For all Lancet journals:

• After acceptance, if you can't pay the full APC and don't have institutional or funder support, The Lancet invites you to contact them.

• You'll need to explain: what funder(s) support your research, what routes you've explored for APC funding, and how much you're able to pay.

• The Lancet Group states it will apply discounts and waivers for authors without institutional or funding body support. This is not automatic and requires a conversation.

For authors from Research4Life countries:

• If all authors are from Health InterNetwork Access (HINARI) group A countries, the paper is eligible for a full APC waiver. If all authors are from a group B country, or from a mix of group A and B countries, it is eligible for a 50% fee waiver.

The Lancet offers CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND, and CC BY-NC licences, and articles with commercial funding only must use CC BY-NC-ND. Plan S requires CC BY. Make sure you select the right license if your funder is a cOAlition S member.

For NIH-funded research: the NIH is one of the funders for which The Lancet Group offers open access publication in its hybrid journals. Its green open access option lets authors deposit the final accepted version in any repository they choose 6 months after publication, so check your funder's current embargo rules before relying on it.

Submission is free. Manuscript submission to all Lancet journals is free, and the APC (if you choose OA) is the publication charge The Lancet Group lists.

Tax applies. Listed APCs do not include taxes. Taxes appear on the final invoice and vary with local rules, so EU-based authors and institutions may see VAT added.

Plan the timing. If you're budgeting APC costs against a grant timeline, note that The Lancet publishes no fixed review time. Author fees are paid only after your paper is accepted, not at submission. Make sure your grant will still be active when the payment comes due.

Commissioning changes the dynamic. The Lancet commissions content such as Reviews, Commissions, and Series. The Lancet Group says the APC does not apply to Comments, Correspondence, or any content directly commissioned by its editors. If you're invited to write, ask about costs before agreeing.

Resubmission from another Lancet title. If your paper is rejected from The Lancet flagship and you're invited to transfer to Lancet Oncology or another Lancet title, the APC at the new journal may differ. Transfer does not lock in a price.

For the flagship Lancet:

1. Publish for free via subscription if your funder allows green open access with a 6-month embargo. The Lancet lets authors who choose this option deposit the final accepted version in a repository 6 months after publication.

1. Pay USD 9,550 for gold OA if your funder requires immediate access and you are eligible for the option. Check first: is your funder on The Lancet Group's list, or does your institution have an agreement that includes The Lancet? If not, can your grant cover it?

1. Contact The Lancet if you need a waiver. They're more receptive than many publishers, especially for researchers from lower-income settings.

For Lancet gold OA journals (Global Health, Public Health, etc.):

The APC is unavoidable since these are fully OA journals (listed at USD 7,860 for most of them). Apply GPOA discounts if eligible and request waivers if needed.

Getting past The Lancet's editorial bar is harder than paying the APC. The Lancet says a high proportion of submissions are rejected on in-house assessment alone. If you want to check whether your manuscript has the scope and clinical significance The Lancet demands, The Lancet submission readiness check before you submit.

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

For a manuscript-specific signal before you submit, run a Lancet submission readiness check.

Or see example reports before you finalize.