Membership
A publisher program that relates to the cost of publishing. It has no bearing on peer review, on the editorial assessment, or on whether a manuscript is accepted.
Charge without membership USD 2,100 Administered by Open Access Pub Editorial decisions unaffected
What membership is
A publisher program that relates to the cost of publishing, and to nothing else.
Open Access Pub operates a membership program for researchers, students and institutions that publish regularly across its journals, including Journal of Obesity Management. Membership runs for a fixed term and relates to article processing charges: it is a way of planning and reducing the cost of publishing, not a relationship with the journal’s editors.
Membership is administered separately from editorial assessment. Membership, payment and an author’s ability to pay do not influence peer review or acceptance.
Membership, payment, and an author’s ability to pay have no influence on peer review, on the editorial assessment, or on the decision to accept or reject a manuscript. Membership does not shorten review, does not change the standard a manuscript must meet, and does not make publication more likely.
Who it is for
Four categories, each with its own eligibility.
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Individual
A researcher or clinician who publishes regularly
For physicians, dietitians, behavioral scientists, exercise physiologists, epidemiologists and researchers who expect to publish more than once during the term, as author or co-author.
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Student
A graduate or postgraduate researcher
For students and trainees whose work falls within the journal’s scope. Eligibility requires confirmation of current student or trainee status from a faculty advisor or program director.
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Institutional
A department, unit, hospital or agency
For university departments, hospital research units, public health agencies and institutes whose authors publish across the publisher’s journals, with the arrangement held centrally rather than by each author.
Corporate
Organizations with staff-authored research within the JOM scope, including pharmaceutical, device and digital-health research. Commercial affiliation does not change the scientific or ethical requirements.
How it relates to the article processing charge
The one thing membership actually affects.
- Peer review
- Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts. Membership has no part in any of it.
- Without membership
- The article processing charge for this journal is USD 2,100, the same for every article type, payable only after acceptance. There is no submission fee. Full terms are on the article processing charges page.
- With membership
- Membership provides relief against that charge for articles accepted during the term. The relief, the term and the fee are set by the publisher and are confirmed in writing before a membership begins.
- When it applies
- Relief applies to the charge on an article that has already been accepted. It has no bearing on whether the article is accepted.
- What it does not cover
- Membership does not cover any tax that applies in the payer’s jurisdiction, or bank and intermediary charges on an international transfer. The full charge terms, including every case in which a charge arises, are on the article processing charges page.
What membership does not include
Stated explicitly, because this is where a membership program can most easily be misunderstood.
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Membership does not affect the manuscript
- It does not shorten peer review or give a manuscript priority in the queue.
- It does not change the criteria a manuscript is assessed against: Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal.
- It does not make acceptance more likely, and it is not visible to the editors who decide.
- It does not entitle a member to publish work that falls outside the journal’s aims and scope.
- It does not carry editorial standing, a reviewer role, or a position on the editorial board. Those are covered on the for editors and for reviewers pages and are unrelated to membership.
- It does not affect where an article is indexed, how it is promoted, or how it performs.
Membership fees and terms
Membership fees are separate from the standard per-article APC. The following fees are listed for the membership term; an accepted manuscript must satisfy the journal’s ordinary requirements before any APC relief applies.
| Category | One year | Two years |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | USD 6,480 | USD 7,560 |
| Student | USD 4,440 | USD 5,040 |
| Institutional | USD 9,500 | USD 12,500 |
| Corporate | USD 6,720 | USD 7,800 |
The written offer specifies the eligible authors, included article allowance, amount of APC relief and any renewal or cancellation terms before enrollment. Benefits apply within the active term and do not roll over. No membership guarantees a manuscript’s acceptance or confers a peer-review advantage.
For a written offer, email [email protected] with your category, affiliation and intended term. The editorial office at [email protected] can assist with an inquiry.
Current terms and how to join
The fee, the term and the relief are set by the publisher and confirmed before you commit.
- Ask for the current terms Write to [email protected] saying which category applies to you — individual, student or institutional — and roughly how much you expect to publish during the term. The publisher replies with the current fee, the term, and exactly what relief applies.
- Check it against what you would otherwise pay The charge without membership is USD 2,100 per accepted article. A membership is worth taking only if you expect to publish enough during the term for it to cost less than paying per article. The publisher will tell you the figure; the arithmetic is yours.
- Confirm in writing Membership begins when the terms — fee, term length, what relief applies, renewal and cancellation — are agreed in writing. Nothing is assumed.
- Publish as normal Submit through the journal’s ordinary submission routes. Do not mention membership in the manuscript or the cover letter; it is a billing matter and is handled after acceptance.
Journal of Obesity Management (JOM) · ISSN 2574-450X · Crossref DOI prefix 10.14302 · published open access by Open Access Pub under CC BY 4.0, authors retain copyright · article processing charges · submit a manuscript.