Reference notes

Coverage

56 journal planning records · 4 policy routes

Sources

Feb. 2026 publisher snapshot · official funder policies

Last reviewed

Policy guidance: September 2026 · data: February 2026

Prepared by the Manusights editorial team.

Publishing-route guide

Open Access Publishing in Biomedicine: APCs, Mandates, and Journal Options

Name: Open access publishing options for biomedical journals
Creator: Manusights
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Open-access obligations can change where you submit, which manuscript version you deposit, and whether an APC is actually needed. The answer depends on your award, not a single rule that applies to every funder.

Start with the policy route that applies to your award, then compare the publishing route. The 56-journal dataset is a February 2026 planning snapshot: APCs and institutional agreements change, so verify the current journal price and your library's eligibility before deciding.

Quick orientation

Use this page when the journal decision is constrained by funder policy, APC budget, or the practical route to compliance.

This guide is designed for manuscript planning, not just policy reading. It helps teams map the mandate first, then compare journal models, then check whether institutional agreements or waiver routes change the real cost.

56 journals4 policy routesAPC rangesWaiver notes

Best used with

Author rights guide

Use it when the next question is what rights you keep after publication or repository deposit.

Journal submission specs

Check journal-level package requirements once the open-access route is clear.

Data sharing requirements

Pair article-access planning with repository and dataset obligations before submission.

In this guide

The five sections that matter most for OA planning

Start with the mandate only if a funder is setting the rules. Most submission teams should move quickly from policy to journal model, then into the APC dataset and the practical cost-reduction routes.

Policy routes

NIH, UKRI, Wellcome, and ERC routes that change how you can publish or deposit.

OA models

Gold, hybrid, and green routes and what each one buys you.

Journal dataset

Compare OA model, approximate APC range, and waiver availability in one place.

APC advice

Budget, waiver, and transformative-agreement choices before acceptance arrives.

Source notes

Know what is approximate, what changes often, and where to verify the latest policy.

Major OA Mandates in Biomedicine

NIH (USA)

Public access

Effective: July 1, 2025 (manuscripts accepted on or after this date)

For in-scope NIH-funded work, the Author Accepted Manuscript must be submitted to PubMed Central upon acceptance and made publicly available without embargo on the official publication date. This is a public-access route; do not assume it requires buying the journal's OA option or that it sets a blanket CC BY licence.

UKRI (UK)

Immediate route

Effective: Research articles submitted on or after April 1, 2022

In-scope research articles may use a compliant immediate-OA publisher route or a repository route for the Author Accepted Manuscript. The open version must carry CC BY or a permitted exception, and a publisher embargo is not permitted for the repository route.

Wellcome Trust

Europe PMC

Effective: Current policy updated January 2025

Original research supported by Wellcome must have a version available in Europe PMC on publication under CC BY, with a CC BY-ND exception available in defined cases. Since January 2025, Wellcome funds reasonable APCs only for qualifying fully OA journals or platforms; a compliant Author Accepted Manuscript or preprint route may also be available.

European Research Council (ERC)

Grant-specific

Effective: Requirements differ between Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe grants

For Horizon Europe ERC projects, deposit the accepted manuscript or published version in an open repository and make it available immediately on publication with CC BY or an equivalent licence. Horizon 2020 projects use different deposit and embargo requirements. Read the grant agreement before treating an ERC route as interchangeable with another funder policy.

Practical implication: Do not treat a funder name as a publishing instruction. Confirm the award's scope, the permitted version, required licence, repository, and embargo rule before you submit. A fully OA journal, a hybrid option, or an accepted-manuscript deposit may be viable, but the compliant route is determined by the policy and your journal's terms.

Check the current NIH public access policy Check the current UKRI article guidance Check the current Wellcome compliance guidance Check the current ERC open science guidance

OA Models: Gold, Hybrid, and Green

🟡 Gold OA

The journal is fully open access: all articles are freely available to anyone, immediately on publication. The author (or their funder) pays an APC.

Examples: PLOS ONE, Nature Communications, Genome Biology, eLife

🔵 Hybrid OA

The journal is subscription-based, but authors can pay an additional APC to make their specific article OA. Many subscription journals offer this route.

Examples: Nature, NEJM, Lancet, JAMA, and Cell all offer hybrid OA

🟢 Green OA

The accepted manuscript (not the final typeset PDF) is posted to a repository like PubMed Central, Europe PMC, or an institutional repository. This can avoid an APC, but compliance depends on the funder route and the journal's self-archiving policy.

All major journals permit some version of green OA: embargo periods and version rules vary. Check SHERPA/RoMEO for specific journal policies.

Gold and hybrid open-access options by journal

This February 2026 planning snapshot compares fully open-access journals, hybrid journals with optional OA, approximate APCs, and waiver availability. The default view includes both fully OA and hybrid titles so you can compare the tradeoff directly, then verify the current price and route.

Open access publishing options by journal

A February 2026 planning snapshot. Compare the route that matters first: fully open versus hybrid, approximate APC, and whether the publisher offers a waiver path. Verify live price, agreement eligibility, and policy route before relying on a record.

Journal	OA model	APC	IF (2024)	Waiver	Notes
PLOS ONE	Gold OA	$1,931	2.8	Yes	PLOS has an institutional membership program that can reduce or waive APCs
PLOS Medicine	Gold OA	$3,500	9.9	Yes	Global South waivers available; institutional memberships reduce cost
eLife	Gold OA	~$2,000	N/A	Yes	Revised model (2023): all accepted manuscripts published as reviewed preprints at no cost; ~$2,000 fee applies only for enhanced eLife-format article. No rejection after peer review.
Nature Communications	Gold OA	$9,750	18.1	No	Most expensive fully OA journal in this list; read-and-publish deals may reduce cost
Science Advances	Gold OA	$5,000	13.9	No	AAAS fully OA journal; some institutional agreements reduce APC
Genome Biology	Gold OA	$2,890	9.2	Yes	BioMed Central; institutional agreements common at research universities
BMC Medicine	Gold OA	$3,290	8.7	Yes	BioMed Central; membership discounts widely available
Scientific Reports	Gold OA	$2,490	4.9	No	Springer Nature; institutional read-and-publish agreements often cover APCs
Frontiers in Immunology	Gold OA	$1,299	7	No	Frontiers lowest-APC option in this list; institutional deals available
BMJ Open	Gold OA	$2,500	2.5	Yes	BMJ; waivers for low-income country authors
The Lancet	Hybrid OA	~$5,500	109	No	Hybrid OA option; OA election at submission
NEJM	Hybrid OA	~$6,000	84.5	No	Authors can make accepted articles OA at extra cost; NIH-funded authors often required to do so
JAMA	Hybrid OA	~$4,500	65.4	No	JAMA Network journals all offer hybrid OA
Nature Medicine	Hybrid OA	~$11,690	52.5	No	Among the highest APCs; Springer Nature transformative agreements at some institutions
Nature	Hybrid OA	~$11,690	56.1	No	Same APC as other Nature flagship journals
Science	Hybrid OA	~$4,500	47.3	No	AAAS hybrid; lower APC than Nature family
Cancer Cell	Hybrid OA	~$9,900	56.1	No	Cell Press journals use same APC structure
The BMJ	Hybrid OA	~$4,200	55.1	No	BMJ hybrid; several institutional read-and-publish deals
Cell	Hybrid OA	~$9,900	45.1	No	Cell Press flagship
Nature Biotechnology	Hybrid OA	~$11,690	44.5	No	Springer Nature hybrid
Journal of Clinical Oncology	Hybrid OA	~$4,000	44.7	No	Standard publisher terms
Circulation	Hybrid OA	~$4,500	41.3	No	AHA journals offer OA option
European Heart Journal	Hybrid OA	~$4,000	45.3	No	Standard publisher terms
The Lancet Oncology	Hybrid OA	~$5,500	33.7	No	Standard publisher terms
Cell Metabolism	Hybrid OA	~$9,900	37	No	Standard publisher terms
Nature Genetics	Hybrid OA	~$11,690	25.5	No	Standard publisher terms
Nature Immunology	Hybrid OA	~$11,690	26.5	No	Standard publisher terms
Nature Neuroscience	Hybrid OA	~$11,690	20.3	No	Standard publisher terms
Immunity	Hybrid OA	~$9,900	30.6	No	Standard publisher terms
Gastroenterology	Hybrid OA	~$4,000	29.7	No	Standard publisher terms
GUT	Hybrid OA	~$4,200	24.6	No	Standard publisher terms
JACC	Hybrid OA	~$4,500	22.3	No	Standard publisher terms
Lancet Infectious Diseases	Hybrid OA	~$5,500	29.4	No	Standard publisher terms
JAMA Oncology	Hybrid OA	~$4,500	23.9	No	Standard publisher terms
Lancet Neurology	Hybrid OA	~$5,500	54.6	No	Standard publisher terms
Cell Host & Microbe	Hybrid OA	~$9,900	23.2	No	Standard publisher terms
Cell Stem Cell	Hybrid OA	~$9,900	23.3	No	Standard publisher terms
Nature Methods	Hybrid OA	~$11,690	28.3	No	Standard publisher terms
Neuron	Hybrid OA	~$9,900	16.9	No	Standard publisher terms
Circulation Research	Hybrid OA	~$4,500	18	No	Standard publisher terms
Molecular Cell	Hybrid OA	~$9,900	16	No	Standard publisher terms
JAMA Cardiology	Hybrid OA	~$4,500	15.2	No	Standard publisher terms
Hepatology	Hybrid OA	~$4,000	18	No	Standard publisher terms
Journal of Clinical Investigation	Hybrid OA	~$3,500	14.3	No	Standard publisher terms
Nature Chemical Biology	Hybrid OA	~$11,690	15.8	No	Standard publisher terms
Science Translational Medicine	Hybrid OA	~$4,500	15.6	No	Standard publisher terms
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology	Hybrid OA	~$11,690	10.1	No	Standard publisher terms
Brain	Hybrid OA	~$3,500	12.6	No	Standard publisher terms
The EMBO Journal	Hybrid OA	~$5,000	8.4	No	Standard publisher terms
Molecular Psychiatry	Hybrid OA	~$11,690	10.4	No	Standard publisher terms
Current Biology	Hybrid OA	~$9,900	7.7	No	Standard publisher terms
Developmental Cell	Hybrid OA	~$9,900	9.2	No	Standard publisher terms
Blood	Hybrid OA	~$4,500	23.9	No	Standard publisher terms
PNAS	Hybrid OA	~$2,250	9.5	Yes	PNAS Plus option available; OA surcharge optional but required for NIH-funded work
Cell Reports	Hybrid OA	~$9,900	7.7	No	Cell Press journals all require same hybrid APC if OA is elected
Nucleic Acids Research	Hybrid OA	~$3,000	15	No	Oxford University Press; some institutional agreements cover APCs

Practical Advice on APCs

Check institutional agreements first

Many research universities have read-and-publish agreements with Springer Nature, Wiley, Elsevier, and other publishers that let corresponding authors publish OA at no direct cost. Before paying an APC out of pocket, ask your library whether a transformative agreement covers your target journal. Many researchers don't know these agreements exist.

Budget OA costs before you submit

If your grant requires open access, budget for APC costs in your grant application. Eligible publication costs depend on the award and policy. Ask your grants office or library before treating an APC as covered, and do it before acceptance creates time pressure.

Waivers are real and underused

PLOS and BMC both have formal waiver programs. Researchers at institutions without library subscriptions or in low-income countries often qualify. Even where formal waivers don't exist, editors at some journals have discretion: if you're unfunded, it doesn't hurt to ask.

Preprint posting is free

Posting to bioRxiv or medRxiv can make work visible while it is under review, and a preprint can be part of a compliant route for some funders. It does not automatically satisfy every funder or journal requirement. Check the policy and the target journal's terms before relying on it.

Data Sources & Disclaimers

• APC figures: A February 2026 publisher-price snapshot, not a live quote. APCs, currency treatment, and agreement eligibility change regularly. Verify the journal's current author instructions and your institution's route before submission.
• Policy information: Reviewed against the linked NIH, UKRI, Wellcome, and ERC guidance in September 2026. Policies and award terms evolve; the current funder page and grant agreement control.
• Institutional agreements: Coverage varies by institution and changes as agreements are negotiated. Your library is the authoritative source.
• Impact factors: Clarivate JCR 2024.
• Journal routes: A journal appearing in this table is not a compliance certification. The route can depend on the manuscript version, funder, corresponding author, licence, repository, and agreement terms.

References

Budapest Open Access Initiative. (2002). Budapest Open Access Initiative. Open Society Institute. [budapestopenaccessinitiative.org ↗]
National Institutes of Health. (2025). NIH Public Access Policy overview. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. [grants.nih.gov ↗]
UK Research and Innovation. (2026). Making your research article open access. [ukri.org ↗]
Wellcome. (2025). Complying with our open access policy. [wellcome.org ↗]
SHERPA/RoMEO. (2026). Publisher copyright and self-archiving policies database. Jisc. [sherpa.ac.uk/romeo ↗]
Creative Commons. (2013). Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License. [creativecommons.org ↗]
European Research Council. (2026). Open science in ERC projects. [erc.europa.eu ↗]

Practical note

Three mistakes that make OA planning harder than it needs to be

Treating APC price as fixed before checking whether the library has a read-and-publish agreement.

Assuming every funder mandate requires the same license, embargo rules, or route to compliance.

Waiting until acceptance to learn whether the budget, waiver, or repository route actually works for the target journal.

Cite this resource

Citation formats

Free to use and cite, with attribution. See the reuse policy for what you may republish.

APA: Manusights. (2026). Open access publishing in biomedicine: APCs, mandates, and journal options (Policy guidance reviewed September 2026; journal data snapshot February 2026). https://manusights.com/resources/open-access-guide
MLA: Manusights. "Open Access Publishing in Biomedicine: APCs, Mandates, and Journal Options." Manusights, policy guidance reviewed Sept. 2026; journal data snapshot Feb. 2026, manusights.com/resources/open-access-guide.
Vancouver: Manusights. Open access publishing in biomedicine: APCs, mandates, and journal options [Internet]. Policy guidance reviewed Sep 2026; journal data snapshot Feb 2026. Available from: https://manusights.com/resources/open-access-guide

Related reference pages

Author Rights and Copyright

Use this when the open-access question shifts from APCs to what rights you keep after publication.

Data Sharing Requirements

Pair funder mandate planning with repository and data-availability requirements.

Reference Library

Return to the full publishing reference library for timelines, acceptance rates, and submission specs.

Author Rights Guide All Resources Data Sharing Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between gold, green, and diamond open access?

Gold open access means the final published version is immediately freely available, typically funded by an article processing charge (APC) paid by the author or their institution. Green open access means the author self-archives an accepted manuscript version in a repository (institutional or subject-based like PubMed Central) after a publisher embargo period, with no APC required. Diamond open access is a subset of gold where neither authors nor readers pay - the journal is funded by institutions, grants, or societies. Most major subscription journals now offer a hybrid gold option for authors who need to comply with funder mandates.

Do I have to pay an APC to publish open access?

Not always. APC eligibility depends on your funder, award, journal, and institutional agreement. For example, Wellcome funds reasonable APCs only for qualifying fully OA venues, while many institutions have publisher agreements that may cover eligible corresponding authors. A compliant repository route can avoid an APC for some funder policies, but check the policy and journal terms before relying on it. Diamond OA journals charge no APC and some publishers offer waivers. Before paying out of pocket, ask your library about eligible agreements and check your funder's current guidance.

Which Creative Commons license should I choose for my open access paper?

Start with your funder and award conditions, because licences are not uniform. UKRI requires CC BY for an in-scope research article's open version, with limited permitted exceptions. Wellcome requires CC BY for original research, with a CC BY-ND exception in defined cases. NIH's public-access policy should not be treated as a blanket CC BY requirement. CC BY permits sharing and adaptation with attribution; CC BY-NC restricts commercial reuse; CC BY-ND restricts derivatives. Confirm the licence offered by the journal and required by your funder before submission.