Open Access Publishing: How High Fees Widen Global Academic Inequality”

Two decades after the rise of open access publishing, the system has not lived up to its early promise of fairness. Instead of leveling the playing field, it has widened inequality between well-funded and under-resourced institutions. Open access journals typically require authors to pay Article Processing Charges (APCs), which can run into several thousand dollars. In elite journals like Nature, publishing a single paper may cost as much as $12,000.While publishers argue that these charges allow free access to research worldwide, the burden falls heavily on scholars. Discounts and waivers are available, but the process is complicated, and in many middle-income countries only partial waivers exist. Even a 50% discount can leave researchers paying more than their entire annual research budget just to publish a few articles. Meanwhile, major publishing companies continue to generate enormous profits—some in the hundreds of millions, with others approaching a billion dollars annually.This creates a troubling reality: researchers without sufficient funds are excluded from publishing in reputable journals. Many must choose between covering basic research needs—such as lab supplies, salaries, and fieldwork—or paying steep APCs. The pressure to publish has also fueled the growth of pay-to-publish journals of questionable quality, further complicating the landscape.At a recent higher education conference, administrators from low-income countries called for a fairer publishing model. They argued that the current system is exploitative, with wealthy-country journals charging unsustainable fees while local journals in poorer nations struggle to maintain quality and visibility. These smaller journals often lack the resources for regular publishing, staffing, or international recognition, leaving them overlooked.Although open access has expanded readership, the opportunity to publish remains restricted. True equity in academia requires not only free access to research but also inclusive, affordable, and high-quality avenues for publishing.