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Gold Open Access: APC Waiver Agreements 2026

CityUHK APC Waiver Agreements 2026

Publishing Open Access (Gold OA) often requires authors to pay Article Processing Charges (APCs), which can be substantial. To support CityUHK researchers, the Library has negotiated a number of APC Waiver Agreements. Examples of these agreements include Read-and-Publish Agreements (also known as Transformative Agreements), Open Subscription Agreements and Subscribe to Open (S2O) Agreements. Conditions and requirements for benefiting from these APC waivers are available in the table below. Please navigate the tabs to view details for each publisher.

   CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder   
(Explore and compare the metrics, rankings, subject areas, and indexing status of journals from all the agreements)

 




 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% Wavier)
APC Waiver Quota 75 articles * 

* Limited to 2 quotas per applicant. All waiver requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Note: APC waiver quota allocation may be adjusted at any time based on actual usage during the year.
Journal Coverage

All journals with an OA option (i.e. Gold OA and Hybrid OA)
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission you must:

  • Be the submitting corresponding author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as your affiliation
  • Use CityUHK email domain for submission
User License Associated CC BY 4.0 (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply How to publish open access under a read and publish agreement
More information ACS Read and Publish Agreement
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk
 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Open Subscription of individual journal (100% Wavier)
APC Waiver Quota No limits
Journal Coverage Communications on Pure and Applied Analysis (CPAA)
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission you must:

  • Be the corresponding author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as your affiliation
  • Use CityUHK email domain for submission
User License Associated CC BY 4.0 license (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply

After article submission, AIMS will inform you that your article can be published OA for free in pursuant of the APC agreement. Please reply to AIMS notifying that you wish to publish your article as OA. 

Here is a sample message:

Being a member of City University of Hong Kong, I would like to publish open access free of charge in this journal "Communications on Pure and Applied Analysis" under the Open Subscription agreement between AIMS and my University.
More information AIMS Open Access
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk
 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% Wavier)
APC Waiver Quota No limits
Journal Coverage All ACM conferences, journals, and magazines, for which ACM manages production and rights (Link)
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission you must:

  • Be the corresponding author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as your affiliation
  • Use CityUHK email domain for submission
Type of Publication

Applicable to 3 article types (as defined by ACM):

  • Research Article
  • Short Paper
  • Survey Article
User License Associated CC Licenses (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply Step-by-Step Guide for Authors
More information ACM Open
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk
 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% Wavier)
APC Waiver Quota No limits
Journal Coverage

All journals with an OA option (i.e. Gold OA and Hybrid OA)
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission you must:

  • Be the corresponding author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as your affiliation
  • Use CityUHK email domain for submission
Type of Publication

Applicable to 5 article types (as defined by CUP):

  • Research Article
  • Review Article
  • Rapid Communications
  • Brief Report
  • Case Report
User License Associated CC Licenses (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply Step-by-Step Guide for Authors
More information Read and Publish agreement with JULAC - Hong Kong
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk
 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% Wavier)
APC Waiver Quota No limits
Journal Coverage Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanism, Biology Open 
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission you must:

  • Be the corresponding author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as your affiliation
  • Use CityUHK email domain for submission
Type of Publication Original research paper relating to original research (Not including review papers, commentaries, correspondence, corrections, additions, posters, or any other content or materials) 
User License Associated CC BY License (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply Step-by-Step Guide for Authors
More information
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk

The Company of Biologists journal titles

Journal Name Journal Impact Factor JIF Quartile Journal CiteScore
Development 3.6 Q1 in Developmental Biology 5.7
Journal of Cell Science 3.6 Q2 in Cell Biology 6.5
Journal of Experimental Biology 2.6 Q1 in Zoology 5.3
Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM) 3.3 Q1 in Pathology

Q2 in Medicine, Research & Experimental

Q3 in Cell Biology		 6.5
Biology Open (BiO) 1.7 Q2 in Biology 3.2

Last update: Dec 2025. Please refer to the publisher website for latest updates.
(Journal metrics of 2024) 

 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% Wavier)
APC Waiver Quota 251 articles *

* Limited to 2 quotas per applicant. All waiver requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Note: APC waiver quota allocation may be adjusted at any time based on actual usage during the year.
Journal Coverage

Elsevier owned and Elsevier published core hybrid journals
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission, you must: 

  • Be the ONLY corresponding author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as the affiliation
  • Use the CityUHK email domain for submission
Type of Publication Research paper, special issue, letter and review article types
User License Associated CC-BY 4.0 or CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply
More information Read and Publish agreement with JULAC - Hong Kong
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk
 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% waiver)
APC Waiver Quota No limits
Journal Coverage All IOP's hybrid and gold OA journals (i.e. journals on List A-D)
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission, you must: 

  • Be the ONLY corresponding author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as the affiliation
  • Use the CityUHK email domain for submission
Type of Publication Research paper, special issue, letter and review article types
User License Associated CC BY 4.0 (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply Step-by-Step Guide for Authors
More information Researchers from institutions within Hong Kong SAR
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk
 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% waiver)
APC Waiver Quota No limits
Journal Coverage Microbiology, Journal of General Virology, Journal of Medical Microbiology, Microbial Genomics, International Journal of Systemic and Evolutionary Microbiology, Access Microbiology
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission, you must

  • Be the corresponding author
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as your affiliation
  • Using CityUHK email for editorial manager registration
  • Use the CityUHK email domain for paper submission
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance.
User License Associated CC BY License (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply Step-by-Step Guide for Authors
More information
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk

Microbiology Society journal titles

Journal Name Journal Impact Factor JIF Quartile Journal CiteScore
Access Microbiology*  -- -- --
International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 2.0 Q3 in Microbiology 3.8
Journal of General Virology 4.3

Q1 in Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology

Q1 in Virology

 7.2
Journal of Medical Microbiology 2.0 Q3 in Microbiology 4.3
Microbial Genomics 4.0

Q1 in Genetics & Heredity

Q2 in Microbiology

 7.6
Microbiology 3.5 Q2 in Microbiology 5.1

* Launched in 2019, Access Microbiology is an open research platform that supports the publication of replication studies, negative or null results, research proposals, data management plans, additions to established methods, case reports, software development, educational and outreach methods, and interdisciplinary work.

Last update: December 2025. Please refer to the publisher website for latest updates.
(Journal metrics of 2024)

 




 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% waiver)
APC Waiver Quota No limits
Journal Coverage

All OUP Hybrid Journals (i.e. Full OA journals are excluded)
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission you must:

  • Be the corresponding author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as your affiliation
  • Use CityUHK email domain for submission
Type of Publication Research articles, Review articles, Case reports and Brief reports
How to apply
More information OUP official site
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk

 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% waiver)
(15% waiver is available after the quota is used up)
APC Waiver Quota 15 articles *

* Waiver requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis
Journal Coverage Hybrid journals published by RSC (link) 
[except RSC gold open access journals and Chemistry Education Research and Practice (CERP)]
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission you must:

  • Be the primary corresponding author as designated in the RSC article submission system
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as your affiliation
  • Use CityUHK email domain for submission
User License Associated CC Licenses (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply Step-by-Step Guide for Authors
More information
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk
 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% waiver)
APC Waiver Quota No limits
Journal Coverage All Hybrid OA journals

Note: There will be a 15% APC discount for Gold journals.
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission you must:

  • Be the Eligible Corresponding Author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as your affiliation
  • Use CityUHK email domain for submission

Note: If eligible corresponding authors decline Open Access for their articles and later request conversion after article proofs have been issued, a processing fee will apply. Authors are advised to select the correct publishing model before article proofs are finalized.
Type of Publication Includes but not limited to:
  • Original Research Papers
  • Review Papers
  • Brief Communications
  • Short Reports
  • Case Reports
User License Associated CC Licenses (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply How to publish open access under a read and publish agreement
More information Sage Read and Publish Agreement
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk
CityUHK authors can publish high energy physics related articles in SCOAP3 (Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics) journals for free as CityUHK is a member of JULAC (Joint University Librarians Advisory Committee), which is in partnership with SCOAP3. Please refer to the following list of journals for details.

SCOAP3 journal titles

Journal Name Publisher Journal Impact Factor JIF Quartile Journal CiteScore Eligibility for SCOAP3 Funding Related Links
The European Physical Journal C (EPJC)  Springer 4.8 Q2 in Physics, Particles & Fields 7.8 All articles will be published free of charge. APCs are completely covered by SCOAP3 Link
The Journal of High Energy Physics (JHEP)  Springer & SISSA-Trieste Italy 5.5 Q1 in Physics, Particles & Fields 9.9 Link
Nuclear Physics B (NPB) Elsevier 2.8 Q2 in Physics, Particles & Fields 5.2 Link
Physics Letters B (PLB) Elsevier 4.5

Q2 in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Q1 in Physics, Nuclear

Q2 in Physics, Particles & Fields

 8.3 Link
Physical Review C (PRC)  APS Physics 3.4 Q2 in Physics, Nuclear 5.9

Only High-Energy Physics (HEP) articles that are submitted by their authors to arXiv.org (the preprint server) with a primary category in high-energy physics (i.e. hep-ex, hep-lat, hep-ph, or hep-th) will be published free of charge and have the APCs covered by SCOAP3

 

Related information on publishers' websites:

 

 

 Link
Physical Review D (PRD) APS Physics 5.3

Q1 in Astronomy & Astrophysics

Q1 in Physics, Particles & Fields

 9.0
Physical Review Letters (PRL)  APS Physics 9.0 Q1 in Physics, Multidisciplinary 15.6
Advances in High Energy Physics (AHEP)  Hindawi 1.1 Q4 in Physics, Particles & Fields 3.3 Link
Chinese Physics C (CPC)  IOP Publishing 3.1

Q2 in Physics, Nuclear

Q2 in Physics, Particles & Fields

 6.9 Link
Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics (PTEP) Oxford and JPS

8.3

 

Q1 in Physics, Multidisciplinary

Q1 in Physics, Particles & Fields

 

 10.4 Link
Acta Physica Polonica B (APPB) Jagiellonian University in cooperation with the Polish Academy of Arts and Sciences 1.4 Q3 in Physics, Multidisciplinary 1.8 Financial support by SCOAP for articles in the fields of high energy physics and fundamental interactions. Link

Last update: December 2025. Please refer to the publisher website for latest updates.
(Journal metrics of 2024) 

 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% waiver)
APC Waiver Quota

126 articles *

* Waiver requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis
Journal Coverage Hybrid journals published by Springer (Title list: Link)
Journal Checking

 CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 

  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission, you must: 

  • Be the corresponding author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as the affiliation
  • Use the CityUHK email domain for submission
Type of Publication Original Paper, Review Paper, Brief Communication, Continuing Education 
User License Associated CC BY 4.0 / CC BY-NC 4.0 (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply Step-by-Step Guide for Authors
More information
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk
 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% waiver)
APC Waiver Quota 43 articles * 

* Limited to 1 quota per applicant. All waiver requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Note: APC waiver quota allocation may be adjusted at any time based on actual usage during the year.
Journal Coverage Open Select journals (hybrid journals) (link)
Journal Checking  CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 
  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission, you must: 

  • Be the corresponding author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as the affiliation
  • Use the CityUHK email domain for submission
The terms of the agreements specify that eligibility is determined by the primary affiliation of the corresponding author at the point of acceptance. As such, changes to corresponding authors to access open access agreements are not possible after the journal has accepted your article.
Article Eligibility and Publication Type An original article submitted and accepted for publication in an Open Access Product, from the date this Agreement is in force, subject to payment or waiver of an Article Publishing Charge. Qualifying Article types include the following and any others determined by the Publisher from time to time: research articles, articles, review articles, reviews, reports, article commentaries, original articles, essays, notes, and discussions.
User License Associated CC licenses (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply See Author Workflow (link)
More information Open access funding
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk
 

 

 
APC Waiver Agreement Model Read-and-Publish Agreement (100% waiver)
APC Waiver Quota 165 articles * 

* Limited to 2 quotas per applicant. All waiver requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Note: APC waiver quota allocation may be adjusted at any time based on actual usage during the year.
Journal Coverage [Click the above hyperlinks to access the journal list]
Journal Checking  CityUHK APC Waiver Agreement Journal Finder 
  • Locate journal titles across different agreements
  • Explore and compare journals by metrics, subjects, etc.
Author Eligibility

Upon manuscript submission, you must: 

  • Be the responsible corresponding author
  • Be a current CityUHK member at the time of article acceptance
  • List "City University of Hong Kong" as the affiliation
  • Use the CityUHK email domain for submission
Article Eligibility and Publication Type

For papers accepted for publication in an eligible hybrid (subscription) journal, or submitted to a fully open access journal on or after 1 January 2026.

Publication Type: Primary research or a review article, including but not limited to original articles, case studies, reviews, short communications, and other content types*

*For the definition of "other content types", please refer to this list
User License Associated CC licenses (Learn more about CC licenses)
How to apply
More information Open access agreement for authors at eligible JULAC institutions in Hong Kong 
     For enquiries, please contact: lbopen@cityu.edu.hk

Information was provided by the vendor and compiled in December 2025. Please refer to the publisher website for latest updates.

The quota (if any) for the Agreements listed above represents the total allocation for the corresponding year and can be used up over time. The availability of the APC waiver for a submitted manuscript depends on the remaining quota balance at the time of request submission. The Library cannot guarantee that APC waivers will be available for all submitted articles.

Beside APC Waiver Agreements, the Library has also secured APC discounts with several other publishers. Details are provided below:

 Publishers with APC discount

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