APC-based open access has been criticised for shifting paywalls from readers to authors, advantaging researchers in well-funded institutions and disadvantaging those in less-resourced settings, particularly in the Global South. Author fee equity asks publishers and funders to provide: automatic waivers for authors from low- and middle-income countries (Research4Life country list, etc.); transparent waiver-grant rates; institutional waiver programmes; consortium-level pure publish agreements that remove individual author burden; and active investment in diamond OA alternatives that avoid APCs entirely.
References
- Research4Life. Plan S Price Transparency Framework. STM Association 'Transparent and FAIR pricing' 2022.