Open Access Policy
Solar Fuels is an international, fully open-access, peer-reviewed journal committed to the rapid, unrestricted dissemination of high-quality research in next-generation solar fuel technologies. We believe that the broadest possible accessibility to scientific knowledge accelerates discovery, fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, and maximizes the societal and technological impact of transformative advances. All articles published in the journal are made freely and permanently available online to all readers immediately upon publication, without any subscription or registration barriers.
The journal operates under the Gold Open Access model, ensuring that the final published versions of all articles are freely accessible to the global research community and the public. This model aligns with the principles of open science, enabling researchers, educators, industry professionals, and the general public to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, and to use them for any lawful purpose.
Licensing Options - Author Choice
Solar Fuels that authors have different preferences regarding the reuse and distribution of their work. To accommodate these diverse needs, the journal offers three Creative Commons license options from which authors may choose at the time of acceptance. This flexibility empowers authors to select the licence that best aligns with their personal, institutional, or funder requirements, while ensuring that the journal maintains its commitment to open access.
This is the most permissive licence. It allows users to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt the work for any purpose, including commercial use, provided they give appropriate credit to the original authors and the journal.
Wish to maximize the dissemination and impact of their work;
Are required by their funders to publish under a CC BY licence (e.g., Plan S, Wellcome Trust, UKRI);
Want to enable the broadest possible reuse, including commercial applications and derivative works.
This licence allows users to copy, distribute, transmit, and adapt the work, but only for non-commercial purposes. Commercial use is prohibited without explicit permission from the authors.
Wish to allow sharing and adaptation of their work but restrict commercial exploitation;
Want to permit derivative works (translations, adaptations) as long as they are not used commercially;
Seek a balance between openness and protection of potential commercial value.
This is the most restrictive of the three licences. It allows users to copy and distribute the work only for non-commercial purposes and only in its unaltered, original form. No derivative works or adaptations are permitted.
Wish to maintain the integrity of the published work without modification;
Want to restrict use to non-commercial sharing and distribution;
Prefer the most conservative protection of their intellectual property.
How Authors Choose
At the time of manuscript acceptance, authors will be asked to select their preferred licence from the three options described above. The corresponding author will complete a Licence Selection Form indicating the chosen licence. The journal will then publish the article under the selected licence, with the appropriate licence notice displayed on the article page.
Important notes:
The licence choice does not affect the peer-review process or editorial decision, which remain based solely on scientific merit.
Once the article is published, the licence cannot be changed without a formal correction notice.
Authors are encouraged to consult their funding body's requirements and institutional policies before making a selection.
Copyright
Under all three licence options, authors retain copyright of their work. Authors grant the journal the right of first publication, and the work is simultaneously licensed under the CC licence of their choice. This ensures that authors receive proper credit, retain their rights, and have control over how their work is used and shared.
Article Processing Charges (APC)
To cover the costs of editorial management, peer-review coordination, professional copyediting, typesetting, hosting, and global dissemination, the journal will normally levy an Article Processing Charge (APC) upon acceptance of a manuscript. APC is 2650 USD per article. However, to support the launch and early growth of Solar Fuels and to encourage submissions from the global community, all APCs are fully waived for manuscripts submitted by the end of 2029.
This waiver applies to all article types, including Research Articles, Reviews, Perspectives, Express Letters, and invited contributions. There are no submission fees, and no charges for color figures, supplementary materials, or page length (within the specified word limits). The waiver is unconditional and does not influence editorial decisions, which remain based solely on scientific merit.
From 2030 onward, the journal will introduce a standard APC structure to ensure long-term financial sustainability while maintaining the highest quality of publishing services. Details of the fee schedule, including any discounts or waivers for authors from low-income countries or for institutional memberships, will be announced at least six months in advance on the journal's website. The journal is committed to keeping APCs competitive and transparent, and to offering options for authors who face financial constraints.
Compliance with Funders' Open-Access Mandates
Solar Fuels recognizes that many research funders have specific licence requirements. By offering a choice of CC licences, the journal enables authors to comply with the mandates of virtually all major funding bodies:
Plan S funders: CC BY is generally required, though some funders accept CC BY-NC under specific conditions. Authors should check their funder's policy.
Welcome Trust, UKRI: CC BY is required.
European Research Council: CC BY is strongly encouraged.
National Institutes of Health (NIH): CC BY or CC BY-NC are acceptable.
National Natural Science Foundation of China: No specific licence mandate, but open access is encouraged.
Authors are responsible for selecting a licence that meets their funder's requirements. The journal will deposit articles in recognized open-access repositories (e.g., PubMed Central, Europe PMC) when required, with no extra charge to authors.
Authors' Rights and Self-Archiving
Regardless of the licence chosen, authors are permitted to deposit the final published PDF version of their article in institutional repositories, subject-based repositories (e.g., arXiv, ChemRxiv), personal websites, and social media platforms without embargo, provided that:
The reuse conditions of the chosen licence are respected;
Proper attribution to the journal and original publication is given.
Authors may also post the accepted manuscript (post-print) under the same conditions. The journal supports the green open-access route and encourages authors to share their work widely.
Transparency in Publishing Costs
The journal is committed to transparency in its financial operations. The full APC pricing, along with a breakdown of the services covered, will be published on the journal website prior to the introduction of charges in 2030. Any discounts, waivers, or institutional agreements will be clearly communicated. The journal's publishing ethics and editorial independence are not influenced by the APC revenue, and all decisions on waivers or reductions are made without regard to the editorial process.
Relationship with Data Availability Policy
Open access extends beyond the article text to the underlying research data. Consistent with the journal's Data Availability and Deposition Policy, all data supporting the findings must be made openly available, either in a public repository or through the article's supplementary materials. The journal encourages the use of data repositories that assign persistent identifiers (such as DOIs) and that allow unrestricted access under licences compatible with CC BY. Where ethical or legal restrictions apply, authors must clearly state those limitations and provide a contact for access requests.
Commitment to Global Access
Through its open-access model, Solar Fuels aims to remove barriers to knowledge and to democratize access to cutting-edge research in solar fuel science. We believe that researchers from all regions—including those in low- and middle-income countries—should have equal access to the latest discoveries, and that open access serves as a powerful tool for reducing global scientific inequities. The journal will actively explore partnerships with library consortia and open-access initiatives to further reduce costs for authors in resource-limited settings.
Review of Policy
This Open Access Policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure it remains aligned with best practices in scholarly publishing and with the evolving requirements of funding bodies and the research community. Any substantive changes will be communicated to authors and readers through the journal website.
Last updated: Sept 2026
For any questions regarding open access, APCs, licensing, or compliance with funder mandates, please contact the Editorial Office at fuel@oafuture.com. We are committed to supporting authors throughout the publication process and to ensuring that open access serves the advancement of solar fuel science and engineering.