A stage of the work process is not the same as a mandatory paid service, since the author conducts the research, writes the article, and responds to reviewers on their own, and no one charges for this. This is where people most often make a mistake. Some set a fee for each stage, while others forget about the bill after acceptance, when it’s already too late to back out.
Here's a simple, handy formula for calculating this:
Total budget = required manuscript preparation + official journal fees + agreed-upon third-party services + taxes and payment fees.
There is no separate indexing fee in this formula. Databases do not charge a standard fee simply for including a journal in their collection, so the cost of publication in Scopus consists solely of the listed components. Not all of them are mandatory; some authors do not need language editing, and some journals do not charge any fees at all. Therefore, a cost estimate always begins with the question of what exactly you need, rather than relying on someone else’s example.
What are the different types of publications?
The access model determines who pays and for what. The four main options are summarized below.
| Model | Reader Access | Is APC possible? | What to Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription | By subscription or one-time purchase | Usually not | Are there any fees for submission, additional pages, or color illustrations? |
| Gold Open Access | Open to everyone immediately upon publication | That's often the case, but not always | Who pays the APC, and are there any discounts or exemptions? |
| Hybrid | Subscription, with select articles available for free | So, if the author chooses open access | Is this the price for this option specifically for your article, and is there an agreement with the institution? |
| Diamond Open Access | Open to everyone | No | Are there any other fees, and who funds the publication? |
In the Subscription model, the APC is often not charged, but other fees may apply. The Gold model refers to open access and does not always imply that the author pays: some journals are funded by institutions or societies. In the Hybrid model, open access for an individual article is usually a paid option. Diamond does not require payment from either the author or the reader. The name of the model does not always convey the full picture. “Gold Open Access,” for example, does not necessarily mean that the author pays: the APC may be covered by a grant provider, an institution, or an agreement between the publisher and the university. Only the journal’s page with the terms and conditions for authors provides the definitive answer.
Free publication in Scopus—what does “no APC” mean?
When a journal states that there is no APC, it means one thing: the publisher does not charge a publication fee. This does not guarantee that the author will have zero costs. The work involved in preparing the manuscript, editing, formatting figures, and the time spent on these tasks do not simply disappear. Therefore, “free publication” in Scopus means publication without a journal fee, not without any costs at all. Furthermore, certain fees—such as submission fees—may still apply even in journals without an APC, so it’s important to read the terms and conditions on the journal’s website. That is precisely why you should include all potential expenses in your budget—even if the line item for APC is left blank—and revisit it after reviewing the journal’s guidelines.
Costs Prior to Submission of the Article
Even before a manuscript reaches the editorial office, the author has usually already spent money or time. This includes translation, linguistic and scientific editing, formatting references, figures, and tables, checking for plagiarism, and consulting on journal selection. Some of this work can be done independently. Using a paid external service is not a universal requirement for editorial boards: they evaluate the quality of the text, not the presence of a receipt. At the same time, poor English or sloppy citations often result in rejection even before peer review.
| Expense Item | When you need | Unit of measurement | Price Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Translation | The manuscript is not written in English | Words or characters, language pair | Contractor's Price List |
| Language Editing | The text is in English, but needs editing | Words or pages, depth of edits | Service Pricing, Estimate |
| Scientific Editing | Please review the logic, structure, and terminology. | Hours or amount of text | Approved Cost Estimate |
| Formatting Links, Figures, and Tables | The materials do not meet the journal's requirements | Number of items or hours | Contractor's Price List |
| Checking for Plagiarism | The journal requires it, or the author wants to check it himself | A single check or a package | Service Pricing |
| Consultation Regarding the Journal | The author has not yet decided on a publisher | Hour or package | Agreement with a Consultant |
When ordering any item from this list, please specify the text volume, currency, and scope of work, and refer to the current price lists as of the order date for rates. Do not confuse your own work on the manuscript with the cost of our services; these are separate line items on the estimate. It is best to order translation and editing after the text has been finalized; revisions are usually billed separately. If you are considering Services for preparing and supporting publication in Scopus, please clarify the scope of work and whether the APC is included in the quoted price.
Sometimes a journal charges a submission fee—that is, a fee for submitting a manuscript—even before the editorial board makes a decision. This isn’t necessarily a sign of fraud, but you should still include this amount in your budget. It’s usually a small amount, but it’s non-refundable if the article isn’t accepted, so it’s worth accounting for it separately.
Expenses Following the Adoption of the Article
Once an article is accepted, various fees come into play, which often catch the author by surprise. The main one is the APC (article processing charge), a fee for processing and publishing the article. In open-access journals, this fee typically covers the Open Access cost, so do not treat the APC and the open-access fee as two separate expenses. It is a single amount.
In addition to the APC, the journal may charge extra for additional pages or for printing color illustrations. On top of that, there are taxes—such as VAT, depending on the publisher’s country—and bank fees: commissions for international transfers and currency conversion. You can verify each payment. Terms regarding APCs are usually found in sections such as “Article Processing Charges” or “Publication Fees.” Check the author guidelines for requirements regarding page count and color. Taxes are listed on the invoice or payment page, and it’s best to confirm the exact fee with your bank. If you receive an invoice from the publisher, compare it with the amount listed on the journal’s website: even a small discrepancy is a reason to contact the editorial office.
Currency deserves a separate mention. Publishers issue invoices in dollars, euros, or pounds, and the bank’s exchange rate on the day of the transfer may differ from what you anticipated. A difference of a few percent on an amount of a thousand dollars is already significant, so it’s best to leave a small buffer in your budget.
Proofreading of the published version, DOI, and indexing are not standard separate fees charged to the author. Exceptions apply only according to a specific publisher’s guidelines, so you should refer to the publisher’s website rather than general statements. If the guidelines do not mention this and the invoice includes additional charges, ask the publisher to explain each one in writing before you pay.
Cost of publishing in Scopus and APC guidelines by quartile
To give you an idea of the amounts involved, below are some guidelines for the ledgers of various apartments.
Estimated Scopus publication APC, as assessed by the Academy of Articles team
| Quartile | APC Benchmark by Article, USD |
|---|---|
| Q4 | 100-500 |
| Q3 | 300-1 000 |
| Q2 | 800-2 000 |
| Q1 | 1 000-5 000 |
The ranges listed are guidelines, not base rates or the full extent of the market. The actual APC may be lower or higher. The quartile alone does not determine the price. Check the amount, currency, and taxes on the magazine’s official website.
This is just the APC, excluding translation, editing, and other costs. The quartile is always tied to a metric, subject category, and year, while SJR, CiteScore, and JCR are different metrics that should not be confused. Next to the amount, note the date and the website from which it was taken, because publishers revise their rates every year, and sometimes even more frequently. To interpret price comparisons correctly, first understand What do the Scopus Q1–Q4 quartiles mean?.
The Cost of Publishing in Web of Science Compared to Scopus
The cost of publishing in Web of Science, like the price of publishing in WoS in general, depends on the journal, not the database. There is no single pricing structure that could be called the “WoS price,” so you should compare specific journals: their APCs, access terms, and additional fees. If a journal is indexed in both databases, there is no duplicate APC. The author pays the publisher once for the same publication. The difference between the databases concerns the journal’s status and its metrics—that is, the choice of journal—rather than a separate payment. In practice, this means that when comparing two journals, you should look not at the name of the database in the description, but at the line item listing the amount, currency, and what is included in the fee.
"Is it possible to reduce this budget? On October 28, during a free webinar titled 'Real Options for Ukrainian Researchers,' we'll break down specific calculations and the conditions under which savings are possible."
In this webinar, you'll learn:
What Factors Determine the Cost of a Publication?
How to Obtain a Waiver for an Author
What does an author pay for in a journal?
Where to Find Journals with Low APCs
A gift for participants: Checklist: “Top 10 Scopus and WoS Publishers Offering APC Waivers for Authors from Ukraine in 2026”
Hidden Risks and Additional Fees
Most money problems don't start with large sums of money, but with unclear terms. The most common risks are:
- an opaque estimate that does not clearly show what exactly the author is paying for;
- a fake magazine website or a fake invoice;
- additional charges that were not agreed upon in advance;
- pressure along the lines of “pay today, or you’ll lose your spot”;
- Guarantees are only verbal—there is no contract and no provisions in case the magazine declines.
No one can guarantee a specific editorial decision: it is made by the reviewers and the editor. However, the outcome specified in the contract can be guaranteed: the article will be published in a journal of the agreed-upon level. If one journal rejects the manuscript, it is revised and submitted to another; if that also fails, the terms of the contract apply.
The official fee charged by the journal must be kept separate from the payment to the intermediary. The former goes to the publisher according to the rules on its website; the latter goes to the contractor for the services specified in the contract, and these should be listed as separate items in the estimate. If the intermediary quotes a single “all-inclusive” amount, ask for a breakdown.
Unusual payment details are a reason to verify the recipient, not proof of fraud in and of themselves: publishers often work through payment agents. Check the information against the magazine’s official website or contact the editorial office. Similarly, you shouldn’t automatically assume that any payment made before acceptance is fraudulent, as there are official submission fees. What should raise a red flag isn’t the payment itself, but the lack of explanation, pressure to pay quickly, and discrepancies with the official website. A fake invoice is a separate risk: scammers copy the format of the publisher’s letters and swap out the payment details at the last minute. Therefore, you should verify the payment details not against the letter, but against the journal’s official website. A genuine editorial process takes its time, and a few days for clarification won’t change anything. Keep all correspondence, invoices, and payment confirmations: in the event of a dispute, they will serve as key evidence. This doesn’t mean you should avoid using intermediaries; it’s simply important that the terms are in writing and transparent. Before paying, it’s also helpful to read a few reviews from authors who have already been published in this journal, although a single review is no substitute for official information. We’ve covered this separately, How Ukrainian Researchers Are Being Deceived by Journals Indexed in Scopus, and what signs to look out for before making a payment.
Pre-Payment Checklist
Before making any transfer, go through this list—preferably with the journal page open next to you—and check off each item as you go.
- The journal title and ISSN match the information on the official website and in the database itself, because similar titles are common.
- The official website and publisher have been verified: domain, contact information, and no duplicate pages.
- The journal's current status and the database's coverage period are known to ensure that your article falls within the indexed period.
- The journal's subject area and article type are appropriate for your manuscript.
- The meeting page has been found: APC, submission fee, and other payments.
- Currency, taxes, and transfer fees are included in the total amount.
- The invoice recipient is the same as the issuer or payment agent listed on the website.
- I have read the terms and conditions regarding cancellation, article withdrawal, and refunds.
- If you hire an intermediary, you will receive a separate list of services with the price for each one.
- If you're working with an agent, the contract specifies what happens if the journal rejects your submission: submitting to another publication, deadlines, and refunds.
If there is no answer to even one of these points, it’s better to postpone the payment and write to the editorial office. Waiting a few days costs less than an amount transferred in error, which you’ll then have to spend months getting back. For each magazine you’re comparing, keep a separate list with the same points so you can see the answers side by side.
This check reduces uncertainty, but does not guarantee the journal’s future status: it may be removed from the database, and the terms may change. Therefore, make a note of the date of the check and repeat it if a significant amount of time has passed between the decision and payment.
The total cost estimate for publication consists of separate, pre-verified expenses: manuscript preparation, journal fees, contractor services, taxes, and bank fees. There’s no one-size-fits-all figure, but there is a step-by-step process: determine the access model, find the fees page, calculate the associated costs, and only then pay. This makes it easier to compare options and ensures you don’t miss any payments. If you’re considering co-authorship, browse topics in your field.
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