Journal of Avian Biology is an Open Access journal since 1 January 2022

This means that all papers are freely accessible for anyone to read and share, directly upon publication. Authors and readers are able to share articles with anyone, on any platform and via any communication channel. Open Access increases visibility and helps research reach a larger audience ­– which generally leads to more downloads and citations. In addition, all articles published from 2000 and onwards are free for anyone to read. We are convinced that Open Access offers many advantages over traditional subscription publishing and that the free and unlimited access to JAB’s research papers will strengthen the journal.

 

Background

The publishing landscape is rapidly changing. As a journal, we need to adapt to these changes, to make sure that our journal can continue to thrive and deliver the very best ornithological research to readers across the globe. For a long time, the publishing of JAB has been heavily subsidised by the journal’s owner, the Nordic Society Oikos (NSO). This model worked well when the publishing landscape was stable, and other journals were able to attract enough subscription income to provide support for the full journal portfolio. Now, when more and more funders and countries mandate Open Access, increased pressure and uncertainty is placed on the traditional subscription system. To ensure the long-term survival of all NSO’s journals, and to enable open and freely accessible research, the board of NSO, decided to move JAB to Open Access 1 January 2022. 

Although there are many advantages of Open Access, there are also potential concerns. When you move to a system with Article Processing Charges (APCs), you also risk building new barriers for some authors. We will do our very best to minimise the effects of this. As part of this, we will be able to waive the APCs for a limited number of authors (the criteria for waivers are to be decided by the EiCs). In addition to this, authors based in low- and lower middle-income countries will have their APCs waived or reduced by 50% through the research4life initiative. There are also many transitional agreements in place with our publisher Wiley, allowing authors to publish Open Access with no direct cost. Almost half of JABs authors are currently covered by these agreements and the number is increasing all the time. You can find a list of current agreements here.

The move to Open Access will not affect the editorial process – the scientific evaluation of manuscripts is, and will remain, completely independent of our publication model. You can rest assured that JAB will continue to bring you the very best ornithological research also in the future, the only difference is that it is fully open for anyone to read.

 

APC and publishing agreements

Article Processing Charges: The APC for authors that are not covered by agreements or who are not eligible for waivers can be found here. 

Agreements: In many cases the APC fee is covered by the authors' university or by their funders. The number of institutions covered by agreements is increasing each year. A full list of the current publishing agreements can be found here.

Waivers: Journal of Avian Biology offers waivers and discounts to corresponding authors based in low- and lower middle-income countries through a partnership between the publisher Wiley and research4life.  A list of eligible countries can be found here. The journal is also offering a limited number of internal waivers to authors from middle-income countries who are not covered by any agreements or the research4life partnership. More information about eligibility and requests for internal waivers can be found here.