APC Waiver for Authors in Maldives: Publishers That Waive or Discount the Fee

For authors affiliated in Maldives29 publishers and journals waive the article processing charge (APC) in full, and 6 more give a discount. 8 others decide case by case on request. This is for the corresponding author's affiliation; co-authors elsewhere can change it, see the rule of each publisher below.

Publishers and journals that waive the APC in full for Maldives

A 100% waiver means you publish open access without paying the fee. Read the co-author rule of each one before you submit.

Publisher or journalWhat you getWhose affiliation countsHow
ACMFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
AIP PublishingFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
American Physical SocietyFree 100% APC waiverSubmitting author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
American Society for MicrobiologyFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
Cambridge University PressFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
Cell PressFree 100% APC waiverEvery authorApplied automatically from the affiliation
Copernicus PublicationsFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
ElsevierFree 100% APC waiverEvery authorApplied automatically from the affiliation
Heliyon journalFree 100% APC waiverNot stated by the journalMust be requested, usually at submission
HindawiFree 100% APC waiverHalf of all authorsApplied automatically from the affiliation
IETFree 100% APC waiverHalf of all authorsApplied automatically from the affiliation
KeAiFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
Lancet open access journals journalFree 100% APC waiverMajority of institutionsApplied automatically from the affiliation
Microbiology SocietyFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
MIT PressFree 100% APC waiver (Quantitative Science Studies)Corresponding author onlyMust be requested, usually at submission
Optica Publishing GroupFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
Oxford University PressFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
PLOSFree 100% APC waiver (only if the research has no external funding)Corresponding author onlyMust be requested, usually at submission
PLOS ONE journalFree 100% APC waiver (only if the research has no external funding)Not stated by the journalMust be requested, usually at submission
Portland PressFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
Rockefeller University PressFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
Royal Society of ChemistryFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
SAGEFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
Science Advances (AAAS)Free 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
The Company of BiologistsFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
The Royal SocietyFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
ThiemeFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
WileyFree 100% APC waiverHalf of all authorsApplied automatically from the affiliation
World ScientificFree 100% APC waiverCorresponding author onlyMust be requested, usually at submission

APC discounts for authors in Maldives

A part of the fee is waived; the rest is paid by the authors or their institution.

Publisher or journalWhat you getWhose affiliation countsHow
University of California Press75% off 75% off the APCCorresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
Edward Elgar Publishing70% off 70% off the APC (fixed GBP 500 APC in 16 hybrid journals)Corresponding author onlyMust be requested, usually at submission
EMBO Press50% off 50% off the APC (pays 50% of list price)Corresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
BMC journals with country-tiered pricing journal50% off 50% off the APC (pays 50% of list price)Corresponding author onlyApplied automatically from the affiliation
IOP Publishing30% off 30% off the APCCorresponding author + majorityApplied automatically from the affiliation
BioscientificaDiscount Waiver or discountCase by caseMust be requested, usually at submission

Check the waiver for your author team

The tables above are for a single author in Maldives. Add your co-authors' countries and a journal to see what applies to your paper.

Co-authors (where they work)

Only the country is needed: without a journal you get every publisher's result for your author team. Free. No sign-up. Uses the publishers' published rules, last verified 27 October 2026.

Co-authors in other countries

With an international author team the same paper can be free at one publisher and charged at another. This is how the publishers above decide:

Submitting author only

Only the submitting (corresponding) author's institutional affiliation counts.

Half of all authors

The corresponding author's country decides the group, and for a full waiver at least half of all authors must be affiliated in a country of the same eligible group.

Corresponding author + majority

Applied automatically when all authors are in eligible countries; on request when the corresponding author and the majority of co-authors are.

Majority of institutions

The country of the main funder decides; for unfunded work, the country of the majority of the authors' institutions, and when there is no majority, the corresponding author's country.

Every author

Every author must be affiliated in an eligible country. One co-author from an ineligible country cancels the waiver; with authors from different groups, the lowest discount applies.

Country lists that include Maldives

  • Research4Life Group A list source ↗
  • EIFL partner country list source ↗
  • World Bank upper-middle income list

Publishers update these lists every year, so confirm with the journal before you submit. How the schemes work →

Case-by-case waivers

These publishers grant waivers or discounts on application, by need and available funds. Nothing is guaranteed, but you can ask at submission.

No APC at all

Find a journal on your topic with the waiver

The Journal Finder matches your title or abstract to journals that published similar papers and, with the waiver filter on, keeps the journals that waive or discount the APC for Maldives.

Open the Journal Finder for Maldives →

Countries on the same lists

Authors in these countries get the same treatment at most publishers.

Frequently asked questions

Do authors from Maldives get an APC waiver?

Yes, at 29 of the publishers and journals we checked, for example ACM, AIP Publishing, American Physical Society, American Society for Microbiology, Cambridge University Press, Cell Press. The waiver depends on where the authors are affiliated, not their nationality.

Which publishers give a discount to authors in Maldives?

University of California Press, Edward Elgar Publishing, EMBO Press, BMC journals with country-tiered pricing, IOP Publishing, Bioscientifica. The percentage and conditions differ by publisher; the table on this page shows each one.

Does the waiver still apply if my co-authors are in other countries?

It depends on the publisher. At many publishers only the corresponding author's affiliation counts; others need half, most or all authors in eligible countries. The table on this page shows the rule of each publisher, and the checker applies it to your author team.

Which country lists include Maldives?

Maldives is on: Research4Life Group A list, EIFL partner country list, World Bank upper-middle income list.

Before you submit

Source, method and date. Each publisher's rule was read from its official waiver page (linked on every row) and the country lists from Research4Life, EIFL, the World Bank income classification and the publishers' own lists. Last verified: 27 October 2026. Policies change, Research4Life updates its lists every January and the World Bank every July, and some waivers are temporary or decided case by case. The checker reads the published rules; it cannot promise a waiver. Confirm on the publisher's page before you submit. ScholarsColab is not affiliated with any publisher listed here; logos are trademarks of their owners, shown only to name the publishers whose rules we read.