Frequently asked questions

Is Plate Media a publisher?

Plate Media is a not a publisher. We work with journal editors to create open-access academic journals that are published by universities, societies, and research associations. This means that the journal editors, in consultation with the journal publisher (where applicable), maintain control over the journal.

How does Plate Media differ from major journal publishers like Elsevier?

Firstly, we are not a publisher! See above.

Secondly, we are a small team who work with journal editor(s) to design an open access journal solution that fits their needs and budget. Major journal publishers have standardised ways of working that may not fit the needs (or budgets) of all journals.

How much does it cost to set up and run an open access academic journal?

The cost varies depending according to many factors, including publication frequency, editor or editing team involvement in ongoing administration, and journal configuration. Costs can be broken down into three categories, each of which is customisable.

Initial set up:

  • Domain name registration, site hosting, and SSL procurement

  • Migration of content (past issues and articles)

  • Site design and SEO

  • Set up of online submission/review portal

  • E-mail account creation

  • Indexing and registration (DOAJ, ISSN etc)

  • Payment portal

Per issue/article:

  • Journal issue page creation

  • Article publication (PDF and/or HTML)

  • PDF metadata creation

  • Article layout and formatting

  • Article copyediting and proofreading

  • Article DOI registration

Annual maintenance:

  • Renewal of domain name, hosting, SSL

  • Online submission portal updates

  • Site updates

  • Indexing and registration updates

  • Archiving and preservation

For a detailed quote, please get in touch.

What is the cost of publishing in an open access journal for authors?

Open access journals may charge article processing fees (APCs). This is at the discretion of the journal editor. It is also worth noting that subscription journals may also charge APCs. APCs vary considerably from journal to journal, and may also vary according to the situation of the author.

Walt Crawford's ongoing analysis of open access journals reveals that in 2020, around 70% of gold open access journals do not charge APCs (according to the Directory of Open Access Journals, DOAJ).

Is it more work to edit and administer an open access journal than a subscription access journal?

We provide the necessary infrastructure so that journal editors can concentrate on the academic aspects of editing a journal.

After initial journal set-up, editors use the online submission/review portal (or manual submission, if preferred) to process submitted articles. When accepted, articles are sent to us for layout, formatting etc. (if necessary) and site upload and publication; this can also be undertaken by the editorial team.

Who owns the copyright on material published in an open access journal?

Open access copyright agreements vary from journal to journal and are specified by the journal editor (and press/publisher, if applicable). For open access journals, Jisc recommend the following approach:

For authors, a relatively light touch Licence to Publish (LtP) can be used. This replaces the copyright transfer agreements that many paywall journals use to assign the rights to the publisher.

The LtP gives the press the right to first publication. However, copyright remains with the author(s). This also allows the press to license articles using a Creative Commons licence eg CC BY. (Jisc, 2022)

Are open access journals less reputable?

As Peter Suber (2013) puts it, "the quality of a scholarly journal is a function of its authors, editors, and referees, not its business model or access policy".

Björk and Solomon (2012), investigating the respective quality (measured in citation impact) of subscription- and open-access journals, found no appreciable difference between the two.

Peter Suber's lengthy discussion of the relationship between quality and access model can be found here.

How are open access journals ranked?

Open access journals are ranked according to the same metrics as subscription access journals, including Scimago Journal Rankings, SNIP, and JIF.