Subscription pricing policy for hybrid journals
As a not-for-profit journal publisher with a mission to support biologists and inspire biology, The Company of Biologists has been committed to Open Access (OA) since 2004.
We were one of the first not-for-profit publishers to launch a cost-neutral Read & Publish initiative and our hybrid subscription journals (Development, Journal of Cell Science and Journal of Experimental Biology) were the first in the world to be awarded Transformative Journal status by Plan S.
As a result of these and other initiatives, the proportion of OA content in our hybrid subscription journals is increasing.
We review our subscription pricing policy annually to ensure that our customers do not pay twice for access to this content via article processing charges (APCs) and subscription fees – also known as “double dipping”.
How are discounts calculated under our revised “double-dipping” policy?
- Calculations will be based on the previous three years of data, using a rolling average to smooth out annual variations.
- The discount applied to the proposed price increase will be based on the proportion of content published as hybrid OA.
- Where the proportion of OA revenue is lower than the proportion of OA content, we will reduce the subscription price based on revenue rather than content.
All online subscribers will benefit from the discounts, including consortia and Tier 5 institutions.
2022 pricing
Following a price freeze in 2021, and after adjustments have been made for the increase in OA content, 2022 subscription fees will increase as follows:
- Development: 2.29%
- Journal of Cell Science: 2.69%
- Journal of Experimental Biology: 2.46%
See the 2022 institutional price list (PDF)
Read & Publish pricing commitment
We will also continue to be transparent regarding our pricing policies for Read & Publish agreements. Learn more here.
