The British Ecological Society has announced that one of its youngest journals, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, will become a fully open access publication from January 2023. Methods in Ecology and Evolution (MEE) publishes methodological papers in all areas of ecology and evolutionary biology, including statistical, analytical, field, and lab methods.
Until now, researchers could access most of the research published in MEE only through institutional subscriptions. Authors could also opt to publish their research openly by paying an article processing charge (APC). This ’hybrid’ approach led to inequities in access and publication that will be reduced when MEE becomes a fully open access journal.
All papers submitted to the journal from July 6, 2022 will be open access on publication. From January 1, 2023, the paywall will be removed from all existing content too. The scientific review process for research submitted to the journal will not change. Waiver requests are handled by the journal’s editorial office staff, with no input from academic editors, so as to ensure clear editorial independence.
MEE is a good candidate for transferring to open access, with a healthy and high-quality submission rate and an author base that is supportive of open access publishing. As one of the youngest BES journals and with fewer paid subscriptions than other BES journals, the impact of open access publishing will also benefit comparatively more readers.
Corresponding authors unable to cover the cost of the APC through these routes may be able to access a waiver under the Research4Life programme, through which researchers from the most resource-poor nations receive a full or 50% APC waiver. This scheme is supported by Wiley, the journal’s publisher.
Anyone not covered by these programmes can apply for a full waiver of the APC from the journal either in advance or upon submission.
BES members will receive a 20% discount on APCs.
Click here to read the original press release.
