What Is the ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science Publication Fee?

If you are planning to submit a manuscript to ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, the journal charges an article publication fee (APC) of $5,000 as of 2025. This is a standard open-access fee for the journal, which is published by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The fee covers the cost of making your article freely available to anyone with an internet connection, without a subscription.

What the Publication Fee Covers

The APC for ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science is a one-time charge applied after your manuscript is accepted for publication. It is not a submission fee. The payment covers the editorial workflow, peer review management, copyediting, typesetting, online hosting, and archiving of your final article. Because the journal is fully open access (Gold OA), readers can view, download, and share your work immediately upon publication without paying for access.

The fee is the same for all article types published under the standard open-access model, including research articles, reviews, and letters. There are no separate page charges or color figure fees. If your institution has a read-and-publish agreement with ACS, the APC may be fully or partially covered. You can check your institution’s status on the ACS Publications website.

Waivers and Discounts

ACS offers a limited number of APC waivers for authors based in low-income and lower-middle-income countries. The waiver is automatic for corresponding authors affiliated with institutions in countries on the Research4Life Group A or B lists. You do not need to apply separately; the system will apply the waiver during the submission process if you qualify.

ACS members receive a discount on the APC. The exact discount amount can change, but it typically reduces the fee by several hundred dollars. Additionally, authors who have completed a certain number of peer reviews for ACS journals within a recent period may qualify for a reviewer voucher. This voucher can cover part of the APC for a future submission. You should check your ACS account or contact the journal editorial office for current discount details.

Payment Process and Timeline

You do not pay the APC at submission. The fee is invoiced only after your manuscript has been accepted for publication. At that point, you will receive an email from the ACS Publications billing system with a link to pay online by credit card or request an invoice for wire transfer or check.

The standard payment term is 30 days from the date of the invoice. If payment is not received within that window, ACS may send reminders. In some cases, failure to pay can delay the publication of your article. If your funding is delayed, you can contact the ACS Publications customer service team to request a short extension. It is a good idea to confirm your funding source and institutional agreement status before you submit, so you are not caught off guard by the invoice.

If you do not qualify for a waiver and cannot pay the APC, your article will still be published, but it will be placed behind a paywall (subscription access) rather than open access. This is called a “subscription article” and does not require an APC. However, the journal strongly encourages open-access publication to maximize readership and impact. You can also ask your co-authors or institution to cover the fee if your own funding is insufficient.

Funding Your APC

If your research is funded by a grant, check whether the grant agreement allows APC payments. Many major funders, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States and Horizon Europe in the European Union, explicitly permit publication fees as allowable costs. You should allocate these funds early in your project timeline, because grants often have spending deadlines.

Many universities and research institutes maintain dedicated open access funds to help their researchers pay APCs. These funds are often limited and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. You should apply to your institution’s library or research office as soon as your manuscript is accepted. Some institutions require pre-approval before you submit, so check your local policy early. If your institution has a read-and-publish agreement with ACS, the fund may automatically cover the APC without you needing to submit a separate application.

If you are co-authoring with researchers from different institutions, you can split the APC among your groups. This is common when a project involves multiple labs with separate funding sources. The corresponding author typically coordinates the payment, but the invoice can be paid by any co-author’s institution. Make sure to discuss cost-sharing before submission to avoid confusion after acceptance.

Key Takeaways

• The standard APC for ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science is $5,000.
• The fee is charged only after acceptance, not at submission.
• Waivers are available for authors in low-income countries; discounts exist for ACS members and reviewers.
• If you cannot pay the APC, your article can still be published as a subscription-access article without a fee.
• Always check your institutional read-and-publish agreement before submitting to see if the APC is already covered.