As of 1 January 2022, all of the journals of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) are fully open access (OA). This means that past, present, and future articles published in AAS journals are all immediately open for anyone to freely read.
4 April 2022
As of 1 January 2022, all of the journals of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) are fully open access (OA). This means that past, present, and future articles published in AAS journals are all immediately open for anyone to freely read.
The transition to the OA model has been well received by the community, and this is reflected in our recent author and reader numbers. In the several months since the transition, weekly submission counts to the journals have remained strong, falling within range of previous years.
On the readership side, average article downloads have skyrocketed since the journals switched to OA, increasing by more than 250% relative to the equivalent download numbers for the previous year.
Under the new model, accessing AAS journal articles is free — but what about the costs for authors?
We believe that publishing in AAS journals should be an option for everyone, regardless of their financial resources. For this reason, the Society has established an expanded waiver program for authors who aren’t able to afford article publication charges. Authors can request waivers for 5–100% of their article’s publication charges, depending on their circumstances and the journal of submission. More information about the waiver program can be found on the AAS Journals website.
In addition to the waiver program, there exists a standing discount for all AAS members who renew or join the AAS during the Society’s annual renewal drive in early September through December. Member discounts provide 15% off of article publication charges for one article in the subsequent membership year.
We’ve been delighted to see the positive reception to the AAS journals’ transition to open access. The latest submission and download statistics give us confidence in the sustainability of the OA model for AAS journals and demonstrate the benefit of this broader access to our authors and the community. Increased awareness of our waiver program will help keep publishing with AAS inclusive and equitable.
We hope you’ll decide that AAS journals are a good fit for your research the next time you’re seeking to publish! In the meantime, if you have any questions or wish to provide feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us at OAquestions@aas.org.
The American Astronomical Society (AAS) have partnered with IOP Publishing to create an exciting new collection of astronomy and astrophysics ebooks to further the AAS mission: "to enhance and share humanity's scientific understanding of the universe."
In keeping with our mission, the entire AAS journals portfolio was made freely accessible as of 1 January 2022. Read more.
