Pricing

Transparent price setting

Elsevier publishes journal articles under two separate models to suit author preferences:

1. Subscription articles funded by payments for reading made by subscribing individuals or institutions

2. Open access articles funded by payments for publishing made by authors, their institution or funding bodies, commonly known as Article Publishing Charges (APCs)

We calculate pricing for each of these models separately. Subscription prices are set excluding open access articles; in other words, open access articles are not factored in when setting subscription prices. This fundamental principle is enshrined in our strict no double dipping policy (see below).

At Elsevier, we publish more articles and at higher quality relative to other major publishers, yet our average list price per subscription article remains lower (by 2-3 times) than that of others. Since 2010, the number of articles submitted to Elsevier journals grew by 11%, and the volume of subscription articles published increased by 5% (compound average growth rate 2010-2021). Our average list price per subscription article grew by just 0.2% over that time (2011-2021) across our entire portfolio of journals.

Journal article price

Key facts on article growth, value and qualityopens in new tab/window

Article Publishing Charges (APCs)

Irrespective of the publishing model chosen by the author, our goal is to ensure articles are published as quickly as possible, subject to appropriate quality controls, and widely disseminated.

Where an author has chosen to publish open access, which typically involves the payment of an article publishing charge (APC) by the author, their institution or funding body, we make their article freely available immediately upon publication on ScienceDirect in perpetuity with the author’s chosen user license attached to it.

Elsevier’s APCs are set on a per journal basis, fees range between approximately $200 and $11,400 US Dollars, excluding tax, with prices clearly displayed on our APC price listopens in new tab/window and on journal homepages.

Adjustments in Elsevier’s APCs are under regular review and are subject to change. We set APCs based on the following criteria which are applied to open access articles only:

• Journal quality (as measured by journal quality Field Weighted Citation Impact Tier);

• The journal’s editorial and technical processes;

• Competitive considerations;

• Market conditions;

• Other revenue streams associated with the journal.

A small percentage of titles may support more than one APC, for example when a journal supports one or more article types that require different APCs.

We do not vary the APC prices for our proprietary journals based on the user license chosen by the author. However, we also publish journals on behalf of learned societies or other third parties that reserve the right to determine their own prices and pricing policies. Any deviations in pricing from Elsevier’s standard APC price list per journal will be clearly displayed on the journal’s homepage.

Download APC pricesopens in new tab/window

Retrospective open access policy

Authors who have published their article under the subscription model in a hybrid journal may be able to convert the article to open access, subject to payment of the associated article publishing charge (APC). Please contact usopens in new tab/window to make a retrospective open access request.

Fee waivers to support researchers

Our goal is to effectively bridge the digital research divide and ensure that publishing in open access journals is accessible for authors in developing countries.

We grant waivers in cases of genuine need, therefore we automatically apply APC waivers or discounts to those articles in gold open access journals for which all author groups are based in a country eligible for the Research4Life programopens in new tab/window. When publishing in fully open access journals, we fully waive all APCs for authors from 69 countries (Group Aopens in new tab/window) and give a 50% discount for authors from 57 countries (Group Bopens in new tab/window).

If an author group from a non-Research4Life country cannot afford the APC to publish an article in a gold open access journal, we will consider individual waiver requests on a case-by-case basis at our discretion.

Our waiving policy does not apply to hybrid journals. Authors publishing in hybrid journals can publish under the subscription model at no cost and make use of the Elsevier sharing policy.

For patients and caregivers, we will consider individual waiver requests on a case-by-case basis.

Open access agreements and funding body arrangements

Elsevier supports over 2,000 institutions globally to publish open access through transformative agreements.

We have established arrangements to help authors comply with the open access requirements of the major funding bodies and how they can be reimbursed for publication fees when publishing in Elsevier journals.

Reimbursement policy

To ensure Elsevier does not charge twice for the same article, we will fully refund an APC when alternative funding is provided for the open access article. For example, where an open access article is part of a Special Issue which is later made available in its entirety on an open access basis, such as through sponsorship by an organization, we will fully refund individual APCs paid by an author or on their behalf.

Elsevier will offer a credit for use against a future open access publication in the following circumstances:

• A delay in delivering open access: When an article is not available open access on ScienceDirect by the time the issue in which the article is included is published in its final version, we will offer a credit for use against a future publication with Elsevier.

• Incorrect licensing: When an article is made freely available on Science Direct in final published form but does not display the author’s chosen user license due to our error, we will offer a credit for use against a future publication with Elsevier.

No refund or credit will be offered in the following circumstances:

• Article retraction or removal: Elsevier has provided publishing services. The later retraction or removal of the article is typically for reasons beyond our control, and does not detract from the publishing services provided, nor from our ongoing maintenance of the scientific record, e.g., corrections to the record.

• Delays resulting from editorial decisions or author changes: These are a standard part of the publishing process.

• License changes: Where an author requests a change to the user license they initially chose we will endeavor to respond to these within 5 working days.

• Circumstances beyond our control: This may include, for example, where natural or other disasters prevent us from fulfilling our obligations.

• Article unavailable on another platform: Elsevier’s responsibility is to ensure that the definitive published versions of articles we publish are available on ScienceDirect, or any successor platform, in ways that are accessible to all.  We provide APIs to enable third party platforms to manage this process themselves, for example to identify and pull gold open access articles or to update their platforms to reflect changes subsequently made to the article, such as author license choice changes, errata, and retractions. Elsevier is not responsible for ensuring third party repositories maintain accurate metadata and full-text.

Subscription prices

Elsevier publishes subscription articles whose publication is funded by payments that are made by subscribing individuals or institutions. Subscription prices are set independent of open access articles and open access articles are not included when calculating subscription prices. Subscription prices are calculated and adjusted based on the following criteria:

• Article volume

• Journal quality (as measured by journal quality Field Weighted Citation Impact Tier)

• Journal usage

• Editorial processes

• Competitive considerations

• Other revenue streams such as commercial contributions from advertising, reprints and supplements

These criteria are applied only to subscription articles, not to open access articles, when setting list prices. For specific information please see our subscription price list for librarians and agents.

Purchasing options

Elsevier provides a range of purchasing options for subscription articles which are tailored for a wide variety of people. These include:

• For libraries and institutions: 

  There are a number of subscription options available which are tailored according to the specific customer situation and reflect a number of factors. For customers who purchase collections these considerations include competitive considerations, market conditions, the number of archival rights they purchase, and agreement specific factors like agreement length, currency and payment terms. Collection prices are adjusted on an annual basis, and any adjustment is based on factors including competitive considerations, market conditions, the number, quality, and usage of subscription articles published, and on technical features and platform capabilities. Open access articles are not included in these calculations. Please find more details on pricing.

• Individuals: Researchers who are not affiliated to an institution, or who would simply like convenient access to a title not available from their library, can take advantage of our personal access options. These options include credit card based transactional article sale and article rental.

• Please find more information on our free and low-cost access programs.

Geographical Pricing for Open Access (GPOA) Pilot details

• The pilot sets APC prices for roughly 300 fully gold open access journals according to the income level of the country affiliations of the author group for each article.

• For these pilot journals, we will waive the APC for publications in which all authors are based in low-income countries, as classified by the World Bankopens in new tab/window as of July 2026.

• For other articles, the APC will be set based on the country affiliations of the author group. The APC geo-price will range from 20 percent to 90 percent of the APC list price depending on whether the authors are based in lower-middle-income or upper-middle-income countries where R&D intensity (domestic expenditure on R&D expressed as a percentage of GDP according to OECD) is below two percent.

GNI Per Capita

*Based on World Bank - 01 July 2026

Policy

Elsevier will use GNI per Capita (Atlas Method)opens in new tab/window as the key indicator for determining the APC pricing tier. This is a widely used economic indicator provided by the World Bank and has proved to be a useful, easily available and annually updated indicator that is closely correlated with other, nonmonetary measures of the quality of life. The Atlas method, with three-year average exchange rates adjusted for inflation, lessens the effect of exchange rate fluctuations and abrupt changes.

The GPOA pilot methodology calculates discounts on the list APC as a percentage of the list price differently for each group of countries. To do this, we use the middle point of each group as a reference. This middle point is determined by comparing it to the starting threshold set for high-income countries by the World Bank.

Elsevier may grant additional waivers to countries where full waiver policies are currently in place for specific reasons, or in cases where Elsevier is unable to receive payments due to trade sanctions (read more). The article publishing charge that applies is automatically calculated as part of the submission process and will take this into consideration.  If you have any further questions, please contact researcher support.

Country Groups

Elsevier may grant additional waivers for author groups in countries where full waiver policies are in place for specific reasons. In addition, there may be deviations from the World Bank country list in cases where we are prohibited from considering submissions due to trade sanctions (read more).

View the list of participating journals