ACS AuthorChoice (Hybrid or "AU" titles) are considered NIH Method B Journals, meaning that researchers pay the Author Processing Charge (APC).
"Traditional" library subscription ACS journals (are considered NIH Method A journals, meaning that researchers can opt to pay the APC. This is normally $4000.00, with a $250.00 discount for UIUC affiliates, and individual ACS members are eligible for an additional $250.00 discount.
Researchers may be offered a discounted “Article Development Charge” for $2500.00 which allows authors to deposit the AAM into a repository such as Pub Med Central to comply with NIH policy. However, NIH has indicated federal funding cannot be used to pay the ADC. ACS has implemented a two month “ADC grace period” for manuscripts submitted to any ACS hybrid journals (or those already in progress) between July 1 to August 31, 2025. Authors can submit the AAM version of the accepted article into PMC without a fee.
How you can take advantage of this program
After acceptance, authors will receive a ‘Journal Publishing Agreement’ prompt referencing the institution they are affiliated with and asking if they wish to retain copyright. NIH-funded authors will simply need to choose, “Yes, I wish to retain copyright and be allowed to immediately deposit the manuscript.” During this sponsored period, there will be no publication cost for the author, while still enabling immediate green OA publishing; ACS Publications will cover the standard Article Development Charge during this period.
Please note that ACS has indicated this is only a ‘bridging’ solution, given the short notice regarding the policy change from NIH. This interim program provides time to identify sustainable solutions and more information should be available in September 2025.
For any additional information needs, please contact Mary Schlembach schlemba@illinois.edu.