What we fund
Publication fees
A student can do the work, write the paper, pass peer review, and still face a bill to publish. We pay it.
What this covers
- Article processing charges at open access journals
- Submission and page fees
- The cost of presenting accepted work at a conference
What publishing costs
Many open access journals charge authors an article processing charge. Across six large publishers, the median listed fee for a fully open access journal is about $2,000. Authors worldwide paid those six publishers an estimated $8.3 billion in fees from 2019 to 2023, and annual spending nearly tripled over those five years.1
Senior researchers pay these fees from grants. A review of two decades of studies names two concerns with the model, and the first is that authors without funding cannot publish.2 A student is the least funded author there is.
Why a published paper matters
A publication is the most portable proof of research a student can carry into a graduate or medical school application. It also puts the work where others can use it. Research we funded is in use at the Boston Congress of Public Health because it was finished and shared.
Before you pay
Check for a waiver first. Many journals waive or cut fees for authors without funding, and the Directory of Open Access Journals lists journals that charge nothing. We cover the fee when no waiver applies.
Sources
- Haustein S, et al. Estimating global article processing charges paid to six publishers for open access between 2019 and 2023. arXiv:2407.16551, 2024. arxiv.org
- Borrego A. Article processing charges for open access journal publishing: a review. Learned Publishing. 2023;36(3):359-378. doi.org
Sources checked September 21, 2026. See every source we cite.
For companies and foundations
Fund a student researcher
Your gift pays for rent, a stipend, books, or a journal fee. It goes to a student who has the position and lacks the money to take it.