Open Access, APC & License (pnasnexus-openaccess)

Why this skill exists

PNAS Nexus is fully gold open access: every published article is free to read, and there is no subscription or hybrid option. That means an article processing charge (APC) and a license choice are part of the submission, not an afterthought. This is the PNAS-Nexus-specific decision that has no analogue at flagship PNAS — and it takes the slot that the Direct/Contributed track choice occupies in the pnas-skills pack. Settle it right after pnasnexus-fit, because funding and eligibility can affect whether and how you submit.

There is no Direct vs Contributed track at PNAS Nexus. Unlike flagship PNAS, an NAS member cannot "contribute" a paper, and there is no prearranged-editor route. All submissions go through standard editor-assigned peer review (assigned to an Editorial Board member, then a handling/guest editor, with ≥2 independent reviews). If someone expects to use a member-communicated track, correct that expectation here.

When to trigger

• Before submitting, to confirm the APC, funding, and license.
• The author asks "how much does this cost?" or "can we get a waiver?"
• A funder (NIH, Wellcome, UKRI, Gates, an ERC/Plan-S grant) requires open access with a specific license.
• A co-author who is an NAS member assumes they can communicate the paper (they cannot — see above).

The gold-OA model and the APC

• Gold OA, mandatory. Every article is OA on publication under a Creative Commons license; authors retain copyright. The journal states it "complies with all major funder mandates."
• An APC applies, but OUP publishes no fixed figure. OUP prices the APC through a region/category-personalized calculator on the author-instructions page, so the amount billed depends on article category, the corresponding author's region/country, and any membership/institutional discount, and LMIC waivers or Read & Publish can reduce or eliminate it. Public trackers disagree on the headline number (DOAJ ≈US$4,202 vs ≈US$2,200 elsewhere), and neither is confirmable on the live calculator — so treat the APC as indicative only (roughly US$2,200–4,200) and confirm the exact amount live in the OUP calculator at submission.
• No separate submission/editorial fee is documented — the APC is the only charge (confirm at submission).

Ways the APC can be reduced or waived (check all that apply)

Eligibility usually hinges on the corresponding author's affiliation/region. Decide who the corresponding author is before you price the APC — and never reassign corresponding authorship purely to capture Read & Publish funding.

Choosing the license: CC BY vs CC BY-NC

PNAS Nexus offers two Creative Commons licenses (as of the February-2024 change, CC BY-NC-ND is no longer offered):

• If a funder mandates open access, default to CC BY — many mandates do not accept NC or ND. Confirm against your grant's policy.
• The named technical default on the journal page is 待核实; do not assert which is pre-selected — make the choice deliberately.

Funder-compliance quick check

• Plan S / cOAlition S: a fully-OA journal with a CC BY route satisfies the route; confirm the journal/your route in the Journal Checker Tool if your grant requires it.
• NIH / Wellcome / UKRI / Gates: all accept publication in a fully gold-OA journal under CC BY. Pick CC BY and deposit as the funder requires (PMC etc.).
• The journal claims compliance with "all major funder mandates," but per-funder confirmation is your responsibility — match the license to the strictest mandate on the author team.

Eligibility & decision checklist

• Confirmed PNAS Nexus is fully gold OA and an APC applies (no hybrid/subscription escape).
• Corresponding author decided (drives waiver/discount eligibility) and not reassigned just for funding.
• APC figure obtained live from the OUP calculator for this article category + region (not from memory or a third-party tracker).
• Waiver/discount checked: LMIC waiver/discount? Read & Publish? membership? discretionary waiver?
• License chosen deliberately — CC BY if any funder mandate applies; CC BY-NC only with a clear reason and no conflicting mandate.
• Funder open-access requirements (license + deposit) satisfied by the chosen route.
• (Reminder) no Contributed/Direct track — standard editor-assigned review for everyone.

Output format

【OA model】 gold OA confirmed (no hybrid/subscription option)
【APC】 confirm-live via OUP calculator (category + region) — figure NOT asserted from memory
【Waiver/discount path】 LMIC full-waiver / LMIC discount / Read&Publish / membership / discretionary / none
【Corresponding author】 ___ (drives eligibility; not reassigned for funding)
【License】 CC BY 4.0 / CC BY-NC 4.0 + one-line reason
【Funder mandate】 funder(s): ___ → license/deposit requirement satisfied? yes/no
【Track reminder】 no Direct/Contributed track — standard editor-assigned review
【Next】 pnasnexus-writing

Anti-patterns

• Do not treat any APC figure (trackers disagree, ≈US$2,200–4,200) as the final amount — OUP publishes no fixed figure; it is region/category-personalized and may be waived/discounted; confirm it live in the OUP calculator.
• Do not assume there is a subscription/non-OA way to avoid the APC — there isn't.
• Do not pick CC BY-NC when a funder requires CC BY — it can break compliance.
• Do not reassign the corresponding author solely to capture Read & Publish funding (not permitted).
• Do not tell an NAS-member co-author they can "contribute" or "communicate" the paper — PNAS Nexus has no such track.
• Do not leave the OA/APC/license decision to the final upload; it gates submission.