Nutrients APC and Open Access: MDPI Pricing, Reputation, and How It Compares to Top Nutrition Journals

If you haven't published with MDPI before, the model is different from traditional publishers. Here's what to expect:

Speed is the headline feature. MDPI journals are known for rapid turnaround. First decisions at Nutrients typically arrive within 2-4 weeks. This is dramatically faster than most society journals in nutrition, where 8-16 week review times are common.

Volume is high. Nutrients publishes over 5,000 articles per year. For context, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition publishes around 300-400, and the Journal of Nutrition publishes around 250-350. Nutrients is operating at megajournal scale in a specialized field.

Special Issues are a major pathway. A large fraction of Nutrients publications come through Special Issues, themed collections organized by Guest Editors. MDPI actively recruits Guest Editors and promotes Special Issue participation. Some researchers view Special Issues positively (curated topic collections, community building); others are wary (potential quality variance, unsolicited invitations).

CC BY is the only license. There's no CC BY-NC-ND option. All articles are published under CC BY, meaning anyone can reuse your work, including commercially, with attribution. This satisfies all funder OA mandates.

MDPI doesn't structure institutional agreements the way Elsevier or Springer Nature do. Instead, it offers its own programs:

Institutional Open Access Program (IOAP): Participating institutions receive 10% off all MDPI APCs. Over 500 institutions participate globally. The discount isn't as substantial as a full R&P agreement, but it's something.

No Read & Publish deals. Since all MDPI journals are already gold OA, there's no subscription component to bundle. MDPI's discount model is simpler: IOAP membership or individual waivers.

Library recommendation program: Endorsement from your institutional library can unlock additional discounts.

Check MDPI's institutional page to see if your institution participates.

Automatic country-based waivers: MDPI provides full APC waivers for corresponding authors from lower-income countries, using its own classification system. Lower-middle-income countries receive partial discounts.

Hardship waivers: Available on request. MDPI states that financial limitations shouldn't prevent publication of quality research. Approval is discretionary.

Editor/reviewer discounts: Active MDPI editors and reviewers sometimes receive APC discount vouchers. If you review frequently for MDPI journals, ask about this program.

No funder-specific deals. Unlike some publishers that have direct arrangements with funding bodies, MDPI handles waivers at the individual or institutional level.

Fully compliant across all mandates. CC BY is the default and only license option. All Nutrients articles are deposited in PubMed Central, satisfying NIH requirements automatically.

Nutrients covers the full range of nutrition science:

1. Clinical nutrition. Dietary interventions, supplementation trials, malnutrition management, and nutritional assessment in clinical populations. This is the journal's strongest area by volume.

1. Nutritional epidemiology. Cohort studies, dietary pattern analysis, nutrient intake associations with disease outcomes. The journal publishes many observational studies that might not meet the novelty threshold at AJCN.

1. Micronutrient research. Vitamin D, iron, zinc, folate, and other micronutrient studies. The journal has become a major venue for vitamin D research in particular.

1. Gut health and microbiome. Probiotics, prebiotics, dietary fiber, and gut microbiota composition studies. This is a growing area within the journal.

1. Sports nutrition. Supplement efficacy, dietary strategies for athletes, and exercise-nutrition interactions.

Three Nutrients-specific facts:

1. The journal has published more vitamin D research papers than any other single journal in the past five years.
2. Nutrients was launched in 2009 and crossed the 5,000 articles/year mark by 2022, one of the fastest-growing journals in the nutrition category.
3. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses make up a substantial fraction of Nutrients' most-cited papers. If you have a well-conducted meta-analysis, this is a receptive venue.

• Currency risk. CHF pricing means the USD cost shifts with exchange rates. The Swiss Franc tends to strengthen over time, which can make the effective APC rise.

• Special Issue fees: No additional charges for publishing in Special Issues. But be selective about which invitations you accept. Legitimate Special Issues are organized by recognized researchers in the field.

• No page limits, but very long manuscripts may face editorial requests to trim.

• Rapid review comes with expectations. MDPI's speed means reviewers have shorter turnaround windows. This can occasionally result in less thorough reviews, though Nutrients generally maintains decent review quality.

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

Nutrients makes sense when:

1. You need fast, indexed, gold OA publication in nutrition science
2. Your work is methodologically sound but doesn't meet the selectivity of AJCN or Journal of Nutrition
3. Plan S compliance requires immediate CC BY publication
4. You have a systematic review or meta-analysis that fits the journal's scope
5. Speed matters for your career timeline or funding reporting

Think carefully if:

1. Your audience primarily reads AJCN or Journal of Nutrition and might view MDPI skeptically
2. You're in a field where MDPI's reputation is controversial (this varies by institution and country)
3. Budget is very tight and Frontiers in Nutrition (~$2,950) or a society journal with subscription-track ($0) could work

Before submitting, make sure your methodology section is rigorous, your statistical analysis is appropriate, and your claims match your data. Nutrients reviewers are generally constructive, but sloppy statistics or overclaimed results will still get caught. Nutrients submission readiness check to check your manuscript before submission.