Will the journal pay royalties for submitted articles?
Generally, scholarly journals do not pay monetary royalties to authors for publishing research articles. This practice differs significantly from commercial book publishing models and is standard within academia.
Academic publishing primarily prioritizes the dissemination of knowledge rather than direct monetary profit for authors. Journals rarely generate revenue from article sales directly comparable to book sales; their income often comes from subscriptions, open access publishing charges, or institutional support. Upon submission and acceptance, authors typically transfer copyright to the journal publisher or grant an exclusive publishing license, relinquishing direct claims to subsequent royalties. Exceptions involving royalties are exceedingly rare and typically confined to certain popular trade or professional magazines, not peer-reviewed academic journals. Authors' primary benefits are academic recognition and contribution to their field.
This non-payment model underpins the traditional ecosystem supporting research dissemination. Journals utilize subscription revenue or author fees to cover operational costs like peer review management, editing, digital hosting, and indexing services. For authors, publication enhances visibility, establishes credibility, contributes to career advancement, and fulfills research dissemination requirements through established journal platforms accessed widely via institutional libraries. The value lies in professional recognition and contribution, not direct financial compensation for the submitted work.
