Compact for Open-Access Publishing Equity

A substantial minority of open-access journals support their operations by charging processing fees (typically submission or publication fees) paid by or on behalf of an article's authors. It is these fees that the compact commits to underwriting.

Many, indeed most, open-access journals do not charge processing fees. Such journals are no less deserving of support, and universities are urged to support them as well (as many already do), through direct subvention, support for personnel, equipment, and other facilities. However, the compact was not seen as the right method for institutionalizing this support.