AGU’s Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (G-Cubed) journal to become open access

By: Matt Giampoala, Vice President of Publications and Claudio Faccenna, Editor in Chief

We are excited to announce AGU’s journal Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems (G-Cubed), which publishes research on the chemistry, physics, geology and biology of Earth and planetary processes, will become open access and all content published in the journal will be freely available starting 1 January 2022. G-Cubed is moving to open access for new manuscript submissions effective 8 September 2021.

As a part of our mission, AGU is focused on making science available to the widest possible audience. By making G-Cubed open access, AGU will ensure that researchers worldwide have access to the important research it publishes. The move also makes it easier for many researchers who have open access requirements to continue to publish in the journal. These changes are part of our larger strategic plan and will help us chart a path forward that balances long term sustainability of our journals with equity of access and inclusion for all authors in our community.

Making G-Cubed open access continues the journal’s innovative spirit. The journal was AGU’s first digital-only journal when it launched and continues to break new ground.

G-Cubed will be AGU’s first mid-size journal to make the switch to open access, following Space Weather, which was converted to open access in 2019. G-Cubed is joining AGU’s seven open access journals: AGU Advances, Earth’s Future, Earth and Space Science, GeoHealth, Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists and Space Weather.

AGU is also pleased to announce that starting 9 July 2021, we will eliminate excess page fees for all open access journals and for authors who purchase an open access license in our other journals. Article publication charges for open access will be increased slightly to cover all costs, but there will now be one flat fee for open access and remove the need for a second invoice during article production.

As we increase access to our journals, AGU also want to ensure that researchers from all regions can continue to publish with us. We offer automatic waivers and discounts for authors in low- or middle-income countries covered under the Research4Life initiative in our open access journals. Many institutions also cover completely or offer discounts on open-access author publishing charges in AGU journals. In addition, anyone not included in these programs who needs a waiver can request one by emailing the journal.

Authors can find more information about G-Cubed’s switch to open access in our FAQs. If you have questions that are not on the FAQ document, please email our publications team.

We know that science is stronger when it is diverse and inclusive. These moves to increase open science are steps toward broader inclusivity in our publications and our Earth and space science community.