Physical Review B APC and Open Access: APS Pricing, SCOAP3, and What Physicists Actually Pay

PRB is hybrid, which means the subscription route is available:

1. Subscription track: No APC. But mandatory page charges still apply for articles exceeding the free page limit.
2. Open access track: APC of ~$2,100-$2,700 plus mandatory page charges if applicable.

This is the critical difference between APS and publishers like Elsevier or Wiley. At those publishers, subscription-track publication is completely free regardless of article length. At APS, long articles cost money even without open access.

In practice, many condensed matter physics articles run 10-20 pages. That means most PRB authors on the subscription track still pay several hundred dollars in page charges. It's not a huge sum, but it's not zero either.

APS has maintained this page charge system for decades. It's a legacy of physics publishing's cost structure, and while other publishers have moved away from page charges entirely, APS has kept them. Some department and grant budgets automatically include APS page charge line items because the practice is so well-established in physics.

APS has its own set of institutional arrangements, though they work differently from the big commercial publishers:

APS Read & Publish partnerships: APS has negotiated agreements with some institutional consortia, particularly in Europe. These typically provide APC credits or discounts for researchers at covered institutions.

SCOAP3 and Physical Review B: SCOAP3 (Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics) is a CERN-led initiative that covers APCs for high-energy physics articles. It fully covers journals like Physical Review D and parts of Physical Review C. Physical Review B, focused on condensed matter and materials physics, is mostly outside SCOAP3's scope. Articles at the boundary of condensed matter and particle physics (topological quantum computing, certain nuclear materials work) might qualify, but the vast majority of PRB articles don't.

This is an important distinction because some researchers assume SCOAP3 covers all APS journals. It doesn't. PRB authors should not count on SCOAP3 unless their specific subfield has been included.

APS member discounts: Individual APS members receive small discounts on publication fees, typically around 5-10%. This won't eliminate the cost, but it's something.

Automatic waivers: APS provides fee support for authors from developing countries, though the specific classifications and discount levels are less transparently documented than at Springer Nature or Elsevier.

Hardship waivers: Available on request. APS states that inability to pay will not prevent publication. In practice, the society has a long tradition of supporting authors who can't cover page charges, and waiver requests for PRB are reportedly handled more generously than at many commercial publishers.

Grant coverage: Most US physics grants from NSF and DOE include provisions for publication costs, including APS page charges. The expectation in the US physics community is that grants cover these fees. If you're on a DOE condensed matter physics grant, page charges are a standard budget line item.

For Plan S compliance, select CC BY at the licensing stage. APS also offers CC BY-NC and other license variants.

APS has a strong green OA policy: authors can post the accepted manuscript on arXiv or institutional repositories with no embargo for most journals, including PRB. This is a major advantage. Many physicists post their accepted manuscripts on arXiv immediately, which provides free public access without any APC. For funders that accept green OA through repository deposit, this means PRB can be fully compliant at zero OA cost.

The arXiv culture in physics is so strong that the practical impact of formal gold OA is smaller than in biomedical sciences. Most condensed matter physicists read papers on arXiv before they appear in the journal. The journal version provides the formal record and peer review validation, but access isn't the bottleneck it is in fields without a preprint culture.

The gold standard in condensed matter. PRB has been the primary journal for condensed matter physics for over 50 years. It's where the field publishes its foundational work. Papers on superconductivity, magnetism, topological materials, semiconductor physics, and electronic structure theory all land here. The journal's archive is essentially the history of condensed matter physics.

Rigorous but fair review. APS peer review has a reputation for thoroughness. PRB referees tend to be senior researchers who provide detailed technical feedback. The review process is slower than at some competitors (first decision in 4-8 weeks is typical), but the quality of referee reports is generally high.

Rapid Communications. PRB offers a Rapid Communications track for shorter, time-sensitive results. These receive expedited review and appear more quickly. The format is similar to PRL but specific to condensed matter topics.

Enormous archive. PRB publishes roughly 5,000-6,000 articles per year. The journal has published well over 200,000 articles since its founding. This volume makes it the default destination for solid condensed matter work that may not reach the novelty bar of PRL or Nature Physics but represents rigorous, peer-reviewed contributions.

• Mandatory page charges are the big one. Budget for $110/page beyond the free limit. A 15-page article costs roughly $550-$770 in page charges alone.
• Color print charges ($1,050/figure) only matter for print. Online color is free.
• Supplementary material is hosted on the APS site at no charge
• arXiv posting is free and immediate. Most PRB authors post preprints to arXiv before or at submission.
• LaTeX is expected. APS provides the REVTeX class for manuscript preparation. Virtually all PRB submissions use LaTeX. Word submissions are accepted but uncommon.
• Resubmission after rejection is possible. APS allows authors to resubmit to a different Physical Review journal (e.g., PRB to Physical Review Materials) with the referee reports transferred.

Physical Review B makes sense when:

1. Your condensed matter or materials physics work is technically solid
2. You want publication in the field's most established journal
3. Your article is reasonably short (keeping page charges low) or your grant covers APS fees
4. The arXiv preprint provides immediate access, making formal gold OA less urgent

Consider alternatives if:

1. You're working on quantum materials specifically (npj Quantum Materials offers a higher IF with covered APCs)
2. Page charges are a concern and your articles run long (journals without page charges save money)
3. You need a higher-profile venue for career purposes (PRL or Nature Physics for top results)

Before submitting, make sure your manuscript meets PRB's technical standards. Referees check mathematical rigor, computational methodology, and experimental detail closely. Run a free readiness scan to catch the issues that lead to rejection, even at journals you've published in before.

For a broader perspective on how journal metrics influence where to submit, see our detailed guide.