We offer a complete or partial fee waiver for authors who do not have funds to cover publication fees. Editors and reviewers have no access to author payment information, and hence inability to pay will not influence the decision to publish a paper. You can either request this when you submit your article in Editorial Manager or you can send an email afterwords to authorbilling@plos.org for your waiver request to be reviewed. As a non-profit, all of our revenue is used to further our open access mission.
Q: Can the address or the name on the invoice be changed?
A: Yes, the name or invoice can be changed. Simply write or forward an e-mail to authorbilling@plos.org.
Examples of author requests:
- “The senior author of our paper is going to pay this invoice; please re-send the invoice with his name on it instead of mine.”
- “Can you please redo the billing address?”
- “Can you change the name from mine to my lab’s name?”
Q: My institute is asking for PLoS’s US tax ID number.
A: E-mail us at authorbilling@plos.org and we can send out a completed form (W-9).
Q: Do you have a Central Contractor Registration (CCR) DUNS number?
A: Yes, our CCR DUNS # is 137486846
Q: Do you have a VAT number?
A: No, this is a tax number that is issued to European companies. We are headquartered in the United States.
Q: Do you have an IBAN number for wiring funds?
A: No, IBAN is not used in the United States. For wires to the US you should use a SWIFT code. Our SWIFT code is BOFAUS3N
Q: My institute has PLoS as a vendor in its system, but with an address in Lawrence Kansas, not San Francisco, California.
A: Allen Press, our former billing partner, is based in Lawrence, Kansas. Billing is now all done in-house in San Francisco, and the correct vendor address is:
Public Library of Science
1160 Battery Street
Koshland Building East, Suite 100
San Francisco, CA 94111, USA.
Tax ID 68-0492065.
Q: We accidently paid twice for our invoices. Can we get a refund of our overpayment?
A: Yes. We will remit a refund of your funds, less bank charges.
Q: Is it possible to split my invoice between my co-authors?
A: Yes. However, we regret that we are unable to process split invoice requests that result in the invoice being divided by more than four. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please e-mail authorbilling@plos.org with the request.
We need the following information in order to split the invoice:
- Name of author
- Institution name
- Full address
- Amount each author is going to pay
Once this information is received the invoice will be split and each person will receive a separate invoice for the agreed amount.
Q: We cannot process the invoice without a PO number; does PLoS accept PO numbers?
A: Yes, PLoS accepts PO numbers. We will amend the invoice to include a PO number and return the invoice to the author or to the payment agency, whatever is specified.
Please follow this process:
- Obtain a PO from your administration/accounting department
- Send us a copy of the PO so that we can refer to its number on the invoice
- We will follow up with the accounts payable department/administration at your institution
Q: I have received an invoice but my funding situation has changed since I submitted my manuscript. Can I still request a full or partial waiver of the fee?
A: Yes. Waivers can be granted even after the invoice has been sent to the author. Simply e-mail the request to authorbilling@plos.org and we will take care of the rest. We will also notify the author to inform him/her of our decision.
Q: Will my paper still be published if I cannot pay the invoice, or if I selected a full waiver at the submission point?
A: Your ability to pay is not a barrier to publishing with PLoS. If your paper is accepted for publication it will be published. Editors and reviewers do not have knowledge of authors’ payment decision or payment ability, so this will never be a factor in their decision. If you have any questions about this, please contact us at authorbilling@plos.org.
Q: When will I receive an invoice?
A: An invoice will be sent when your paper is accepted for production (note: although the article has been accepted for publication – “editorial accept” – a publication date cannot be set and production cannot move forward until the paper is production accepted). This point is reached when you have adequately revised your files in response to the revision requests sent to you by the Production Team.
Q: Do I qualify for a publication fee discount through my affiliation to my current institution?
A: Some institutions are members of PLoS and have negotiated a discount on publication fees. You should declare your affiliation at the submission point and the discount will be calculated automatically. If you wish to find out the level of discount please e-mail authorbilling@plos.org.
Q: Can I receive a paper version of my invoice?
A: Yes. Please send your request to authorbilling@plos.org.
Fee Waivers
We offer a complete or partial fee waiver for authors who do not have funds to cover publication fees. Editors and reviewers have no access to author payment information, and hence inability to pay will not influence the decision to publish a paper. You can find out more about this service when you submit your article online.
