PLOS and the University of South Carolina announce APC-free Open Access publishing agreement

Note: PLOS issued the following press release on Monday, August 26, 2024

SAN FRANCISCO — The University of South Carolina and the Public Library of Science (PLOS) today announced a three-year Open Access agreement that allows researchers to publish in PLOS journals[1] without incurring article processing charges (APC). This partnership brings together two organizations that believe researchers should be able to access content freely and make their work available publicly, regardless of their access to funds.

“The evidence is undeniable — open research enables the convergence of disciplines that drives scientific innovations,” said Amie Freeman, University Libraries Assistant Head of Acquisitions and Scholarly Communication. “This agreement with PLOS gives our researchers more avenues to provide their work to the public, and, in doing so, increases readership and opportunities for societal impact.” 

Researchers  from the University of South Carolina will have unlimited opportunity to publish over three years and will not be charged any APCs. This agreement furthers PLOS’ mission of making open access publishing available to all while ensuring that its journals include research from authors representing a diverse array of disciplines, career stages and geographies.  

“The agreement with the University of South Carolina is yet another step in our goal of empowering authors who want to publish their research openly,” said Roheena Anand, Executive Director of Global Publishing Development & Sales at PLOS. “This agreement demonstrates our effort to build a truly ‘open to read, open to publish’ environment for authors as well as our commitment to our library partners.”

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About the Public Library of Science

PLOS is a nonprofit, open access publisher empowering researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication. Since our founding in 2001, PLOS journals have helped break boundaries in research communication to provide more opportunities, choice, and context for researchers and readers. For more information, visit http://www.staging.plos.org.

About the University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is a globally recognized, high-impact research university committed to a superior student experience and to innovation in learning, research and community engagement. Founded in 1801, the university is a top-tier Carnegie Foundation research institution offering the No. 1 first-year student experience among public universities and more than 300 academic degree programs. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of 20 locations throughout the state, including the research campus in Columbia. With 60 nationally ranked academic programs — including top-ranked programs in international business, the nation’s best honors college and distinguished programs in engineering, law, medicine, public health and the arts — the university is helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and around the world.

[1] PLOS ONE, PLOS Digital Health, PLOS Computational Biology, PLOS Pathogens, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, PLOS Genetics and PLOS Complex Systems.