Publishers answer us. Here is what changed.
When a fee page is unclear, we ask the publisher and publish the answer. 7 organisations have replied so far, and every answer below is dated, linked and followed by the change we made.
Updated 26 October 2026
Three examples
Turanian Journal · 26 October 2026
A small journal sent us the page we missed, and we corrected the record the same day
We first listed it as “no clear statement found” because we had read the institute’s page, not the journal’s own. The journal replied with the right links. Its own pages say it charges no submission, review or publication fees and publishes under CC BY 4.0. The record now cites them, with the date we read them.
Microbiology Society · 21 October 2026
One question exposed a rule the publisher’s own page does not state yet
For an author who qualifies for both the HINARI discount and the member discount, the Society told us the order: HINARI 50% first, then 30% off the reduced fee. We show that statement next to the page’s own text, which still says one discount per submission, and say so plainly.
Pensoft · 12–21 October 2026
A fix to the publisher’s own list, and a full re-read
Pensoft confirmed that the figures on its open-access page are averages, not per-journal fees, told us two links in its list were an error, and sent a list of 69 journals with their fee and waiver pages. We removed the averages, corrected the links and re-read all 69 journal pages.
How we handle an answer
- The publisher’s page stays the source. An answer by email is recorded as a statement, with its date. Where it differs from the page, we show both and say so.
- Nothing is for sale. No publisher can pay to be listed, to be described in a particular way or to change a figure. This page is not an endorsement or a partnership.
- Every change is logged. Changes to figures are in the corrections log with their dates; the funding and rules are on the independence page.
- Silence is not an answer. Automatic acknowledgements are not listed, and we never treat a missing reply as agreement.
All answers received
| Date | Who answered | What we asked | What they said | What we changed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-26 | DOAJ Deputy Director | May JournalFees link to DOAJ journal records as a source, and is there a data-use arrangement? We also sent a list of journals whose APCs differ between DOAJ and their own websites. | Linking is welcome; please do not use the DOAJ logo, so that DOAJ does not appear to favour one service. DOAJ is aware that some APC entries differ from journals’ own websites: it relies on publishers to send updates, now asks them every year for their current list prices, and the next round goes out early next year. | DOAJ records are cited as a lead, never as a price source, and the DOAJ logo is not used. Page |
| 2026-10-26 | Turanian Journal Executive Editor | Our first letter said we could not find the journal’s author-fee, licence, ethics and archiving statements on the institute page we had read. Where does the journal state them? | All of it is on the journal’s own website, and the editor sent the links: no fees for submission, editorial processing, peer review or publication (a no-fee, open access journal); CC BY 4.0 with authors keeping copyright; and separate pages for publication ethics and for archiving and preservation. | Record corrected from “no clear statement found” to “no author charge stated”, citing the journal’s own pages, read on 26 October 2026. The institute page we had read first was not the journal’s own. Page |
| 2026-10-22 | The Company of Biologists Editorial Administrator, Disease Models & Mechanisms | Our page did not say whether the country waivers cover Development, Journal of Cell Science and Journal of Experimental Biology. Do the country waivers cover the hybrid journals? | No. The hybrid journals do not offer waivers, as they retain a free-to-publish option, under which articles become free to read after 12 months. | The Hybrid line on the publisher page and in the country tables changed from “not stated” to “no”; the page names Development, Journal of Cell Science and Journal of Experimental Biology as the journals our question concerned. Page |
| 2026-10-21 | Microbiology Society Publishing Operations | Do 2026 rates still apply to articles accepted before 1 January 2027? Does 'only one discount per submission' mean a HINARI Group B author who is also a member gets only the larger discount? | 2026 prices apply to articles accepted before 17 December 2026, when prices update in CCC RightsLink. The 30% member discount is applied in addition to the automatic 50% HINARI discount: HINARI first, then 30% off the reduced fee. | 2027 rates added from the fee page; the 17 December 2026 boundary and the combined discount shown as the Society's statement, next to the page text, which still says only one discount may be applied per submission. Their page does not yet say this; we show both. Page |
| 2026-10-21 | Pensoft Indexing and Archiving | Both Tuhinga links in Pensoft's list point to Papahou's page; and does Journal of Orthoptera Research charge non-members of the Orthopterists' Society? | The Tuhinga links in the list were an error. Journal of Orthoptera Research is free of charge for all authors (Diamond Open Access); an outdated sentence about members was left in Focus and Scope and has been removed. | Tuhinga source link corrected to the journal's own page; Journal of Orthoptera Research marked free for all authors. Page |
| 2026-10-20 | Pensoft Indexing and Archiving | Is there a per-journal fee page to cite instead of pensoft.net/open-access? | Sent a list of 69 journals it publishes or hosts on ARPHA, with links to each journal's APC and waiver sections. | All 69 journal pages read on 21 October 2026; Pensoft entries rebuilt from them. Page |
| 2026-10-12 | Pensoft Indexing and Archiving | Are the figures on pensoft.net/open-access per-journal APCs? | No. They are average publishing costs; APCs, waivers and discounts vary by journal, and each journal's own website is the primary source. | Average-cost figures removed; Pensoft fields left empty until the journal pages were read. Page |
| 2026-10-12 | Royal Society Publishing Publishing | Who handles enquiries about Royal Society APC and waiver information, so that we link to the right page? | publishing@royalsociety.org is the right address for open access requests; APCs are on royalsociety.org/journals/open-access/#apcs. | That page is cited as the APC source. Page |
| 2026-10-12 | Research4Life Support team | Is research4life.org/access/eligibility the canonical source for Group A and B, and is there a changelog? | The eligibility page is where the lists are published; there is no changelog. Adjustments are added as footnotes on the page a few months before they take effect. | The page is cited as the only source; its footnotes are checked monthly. Page |
Download: JSON (CC BY 4.0).
Asked, no answer yet
- Cambridge University Press: two points in our APC and waiver data (asked 21 October 2026)
- BMJ: one point in our APC data (asked 21 October 2026)
- De Gruyter Brill: whether the 80% / 30% equity discounts cover hybrid and former Brill journals (asked 21 October 2026)
- EIFL: a contact for agreement changes; 33 vs 32 countries on the Microbiology Society agreement page (asked 21 October 2026)
If you work at one of these organisations, or your fee page has changed, write to hello@journalfees.com with a link to the page.
Is your fee page unclear, or has it changed?
Write to hello@journalfees.com with a link to the page. We read it, show the date we read it and log any correction. It is free, and it cannot be paid for.
Is your fee page unclear, or has it changed?
Write to hello@journalfees.com with a link to the page. We read it, show the date we read it and log any correction. It is free, and it cannot be paid for.
Is your fee page unclear, or has it changed?
Write to hello@journalfees.com with a link to the page. We read it, show the date we read it and log any correction. It is free, and it cannot be paid for.