Journal of Big Data Research
Membership
Open Access Pub operates an optional membership program for researchers and institutions that publish regularly. It is a way of arranging publication costs in advance. It has no bearing on how a manuscript is reviewed.
- Status
- Optional. Authors may publish in this journal without it.
- Open to
- Individual researchers and institutions
- Effect on review
- None. Decisions remain independent of memberships.
- Current terms
- Confirmed by the editorial office on inquiry
What membership is
Membership is a subscription arrangement with the publisher, taken out for a fixed term. It covers publication costs for an agreed number of accepted manuscripts within that term, so a research group or department can plan its publishing budget in advance rather than meeting an article processing charge each time a paper is accepted.
It is bought from the publisher and it settles a financial question. Everything else about a manuscript — whether it is in scope, how it is reviewed, and whether it is accepted — is decided by the editors on the work alone.
Plans, terms, prices and the number of manuscripts included are set by the publisher and are confirmed by the editorial office. Write to info@openaccesspub.org with the journal name and how much you expect to publish, and the current schedule will be sent to you.
What membership settles
- It covers
- Publication costs for an agreed number of accepted manuscripts within the term.
- It does not cover
- The editorial decision. A member's manuscript is assessed exactly as any other.
- Alternative
- Publishing article by article, under the standard article processing charge of USD 2,440 after acceptance.
The rule that governs this page
Membership and the editorial decision are separate
Assessment
Identical for members
A member's manuscript goes through the same screening and the same review as every other submission. Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
Decisions
Made on the work
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal. Decisions remain independent of fees, services, memberships, and editorial roles.
Handling
Same queue, same standard
Membership confers no advantage in the review or acceptance of a member's own manuscripts, and does not change the order in which manuscripts are handled or the standard they are held to.
Deciding whether it suits you
Membership is worth considering in some situations and unnecessary in others. The questions below are the ones that usually settle it.
How much do you expect to publish?
A term subscription is arranged around an expected number of accepted manuscripts. If you expect to publish one paper, the standard article processing charge is the simpler route.
Who is paying?
Where a department, laboratory or library meets publication costs centrally, a single arrangement for the term can be easier to administer than separate invoices per article. The editorial office can supply what a finance office needs.
What happens to unused allocation?
The treatment of manuscripts not used within the term is part of the current schedule. Ask the editorial office to confirm it in writing before subscribing.
What if a manuscript is declined?
Membership covers publication costs for accepted manuscripts. It is not a commitment to publish, and a declined manuscript is declined on the same grounds as any other.
Asking about membership
Write to the editorial office with the journal name, whether the arrangement is for an individual or an institution, and roughly how much you expect to publish. The current plans and terms will be sent to you in writing before anything is agreed.
Related pages
- Charges
- Article Processing Charges — the standard charge, when it falls due, and the withdrawal policy.
- Policies
- Editorial Policies — review, independence, ethics and corrections.
- Scope
- Aims and Scope — what the journal publishes.