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What should I know before submitting to an Elsevier journal?
Elsevier publishes 2,900+ journals across the sciences, medicine, and social sciences, but only about 20% of submissions are accepted. Article processing charges range from $150 to $10,100 depending on the journal — a sixty-seven-fold spread inside one portfolio. Authors from 69 countries pay nothing; authors from 57 more pay half. In 2023, Elsevier earned an estimated $582.8 million from APCs — second among publishers after MDPI. Subscription route in hybrid journals remains free for authors, with a 12-month embargo.
Detail
Scale and acceptance
Elsevier's own catalogue lists 2,900+ journals. Independent counts vary — Wikipedia's academic-journals category has 935, aggregators claim 3,053. The gap is real: Elsevier constantly renames, merges, and discontinues titles, so any snapshot ages within months.
Money the portfolio generates
In 2023, Elsevier earned an estimated $582.8 million from APCs alone — second among publishers after MDPI. That figure does not include subscription revenue, which for large journals still exceeds APC income.
The three routes to publish
Fully open access — you pay an APC, article is immediately free. Hybrid — subscription journal with an open access option (you pay to make one article open). Subscription only — you pay nothing, but the article sits behind a paywall for a 12+ month embargo.
What varies most
Prices. A charge inside Elsevier's portfolio can be $150 or $10,100 for the same author. Which one you face depends entirely on the journal, not on the publisher.