Open access or subscription journals?
The cost of publishing academic papers can be paid for in a number of ways. Traditionally, libraries and other institutions pay a subscription fee to receive individual journals or collections of titles for their researchers. This is known as the subscription model and, as an author, you usually do not have to pay a fee to publish a paper in a subscription journal, although you may incur a page charge or be charged for colour figures.
The open access publishing model allows published papers to be freely available for anyone to read. This means that authors, research institutions or funding organizations may fund the costs of publishing. In return, authors can ensure that everyone is able to access their work. If you wish to submit to a journal that charges for publication, always check with your institution to ensure that there are funds available to cover these charges. Some open access journals offer discounts, so check to see whether these apply to you.