Discover journals: Open access funding options for our authors

Author: Jovial Toh and Siobhan Bates

Are you an early-career researcher eager to get your work noticed? Publishing open access (OA) is one of the best ways to make sure your research is read, cited, and used around the world. But getting started with OA publishing can feel confusing, especially if you’re new to it.

This blog will guide you through the basics of OA publishing and show how Discover journals make the process straightforward and supportive, especially for new researchers. We’ll explain the benefits for your career and how you can take advantage of open access agreements to make publishing easier and more affordable.

Increase your reach

When you publish openly under an OA license, your article is free for anyone to read right away—no paywalls or subscriptions. This means your work can reach researchers anywhere in the world, including researchers in lower-middle-income countries whose institutions may have to be highly selective with the journal subscriptions they sign up for. OA helps create a fairer research community where everyone has access to the latest science, including researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and the general public.

OA publishing increases the reach of your research. Readers can easily discover and immediately access OA articles, without hitting paywalls or institutional login pages. This results in more impact. Many studies have shown that publishing OA positively influences the number of readers and citations your research receives. Moreover, data from a 2024 report showed that articles in Springer Nature’s fully OA journals were downloaded up to five times more often and received higher citation rates than those in other publishers’ comparable journals. 

This extra attention can lead to new collaborations, a stronger CV, and a faster start to your research career—all especially important if you’re just starting out.

“Discover journals are built to encourage inclusivity, rapid, rigorous review, and global reach. Our publishing models are designed to match that ambition, making it easier than ever for authors to publish open access without compromise. Discover journals reflect the future of publishing: rigorous, fast, fair, and open to all.” 

- Dylan Parker, Publishing Director, Discover at Springer Nature

A journal portfolio built around inclusivity

Discover is Springer Nature’s newest imprint, breaking with many publishing traditions. Our portfolio of fully OA journals spans a wide range of disciplines, from the hard sciences and medicine to the social sciences and humanities.

Our primary goal is to be inclusive of all research communities and types of research. In some disciplines, up to half of all research findings don’t get published. At Discover, we welcome all valid research, including negative findings and case reports.

Since all articles are available OA from day one, readers can easily access Discover journals and use their content, regardless of where they are in the world.

Our inclusive portfolio has been designed to facilitate multidisciplinary research, so the journals can easily align with the challenges outlined by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Every new journal in the Discover portfolio considers how journal content will contribute to progressing SDGs relevant to the subject matter. In fact, across the Discover portfolio, SDG-related content consistently receives stronger engagement than non-SDG content, with on average 53.9% higher Altmetric scores and 12.6% more citations (Dimensions), highlighting their academic influence. 

We know that you care about getting your results out into the world quickly. The average time between manuscript submission and first decision ranges from one to four weeks. You can easily check this metric for each Discover journal as the median value is listed on its home page, so our authors know what to expect. At the same time, we don’t compromise on quality. All Discover journals follow the ethical standards for research and publication defined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), so you can trust our rigorous and robust peer-review process. 

“Early-career researchers often face the steepest barriers to publishing. Our goal is to remove those barriers—whether financial, procedural, or institutional—so they can focus on building their careers and contributing to global knowledge. That’s why we’ve designed our OA agreements with all researchers, including early-career researchers, in mind. From fee coverage to simplified workflows, we’re here to support the next generation of scholars.” 

- Caroline Nevison, Director of OA Agreements at Springer Nature

Publishing made simple for early-career researchers

Publishing your first paper can feel overwhelming. There’s a lot to learn—like how to submit, what peer review means, and how to pay for publication. Discover journals are set up to make these steps as simple as possible, so you can focus on sharing your research.

Here’s how Discover journals support early-career researchers from the start:

• Rigorous peer review underpinned by COPE ethics
• Rapid decisions for real-time impact 
• An inclusive scope that welcomes diverse article types and multidisciplinary research 
• Global reach and impact via OA publications 
• Straightforward OA agreements with institutions

Our open access agreements make it easy to opt for OA

When publishing OA, authors are typically required to pay an article processing fee (APC) to cover the costs of the editorial process. Many institutions offer financial support to help cover these costs. One way is through OA agreements with publishers—either individually or through a consortium agreement among multiple institutions. 

Your institution’s OA agreement with Springer Nature may provide:  

• Full APC coverage – 100% of the APC is paid by the institution
• A percentage discount – e.g. 10% off the list price APC
• Fixed price coverage – e.g. up to €1,000 paid by the institution.

Our OA agreements with participating institutions worldwide are designed to help reduce both the financial and administrative burdens for authors.

If your institution has such an agreement in place, your OA fees might be covered for the journals included.  

Authors whose institutions are not yet part of an open-access agreement can still benefit from Springer Nature’s OA funding resources, which help locate institutional funds, charitable grants, or waiver programs for researchers in lower-income countries.

Find out if your publishing fee can be covered by an OA agreement

Step 1: Visit the homepage of the Discover journal you want to publish in via Springer Nature Link. Click on “Explore open access funding” underneath the “Submit your manuscript” button. 

Step 2: Your institution is automatically selected through your IP address, but you can update this to reflect your best fit, or that of your co-authors.

Step 3: If your university or institution has an agreement with Springer Nature, the eligibility checker will inform you of the available funding options.

Step 4: If you’re not covered by an OA agreement then explore whether your funder or institution supports APC costs through other routes. Visit Springer Nature’s open access funding & support services for information about research funders and institutions that provide funding for APCs.

Ready to publish OA in a Discover journal?

Our support service team is available to assist you at every step of the submission, review, and publication process. 

Submission

You can submit your manuscript through a journal’s online submission system. Detailed guidelines help you meet the journal’s formatting and content requirements.

Peer review

Once submitted, the manuscript undergoes rigorous peer review. Reviewers assess the validity, originality and significance of your research. Authors may be required to make revisions based on the feedback from reviewers.

Acceptance and publication

Upon acceptance, your manuscript is prepared for publication. This includes formatting, proofreading, and the addition of metadata to enhance discoverability. Your final article is then published online and made freely accessible.

Post-publication

After publication, you can track the impact of your work through metrics such as download counts, citations, and social media mentions.

Make your research count with Discover’s OA journals

Publishing open access doesn’t have to be complicated, and with Discover journals, it’s designed to be empowering. Whether you're an early-career researcher looking to build visibility or simply want your work to reach the widest possible audience, Discover offers a fast, inclusive, and impactful publishing experience. From rigorous peer review to global discoverability and simplified funding through OA agreements, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Ready to take the next step? Explore our OA funding options for Discover journals and make your research count.

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