The Journal of Circular Economy was founded with a simple goal: to make high-quality circular economy research freely accessible while keeping publication costs as low as possible.

All articles published in JoCE are immediately and permanently available to read, download, share, and reuse without paywalls or subscriptions. To support this open-access model, we charge an Article Processing Charge (APC) for manuscripts that are accepted for publication following peer review and editorial approval.

Our APCs fund the journal’s operations, including editorial management, peer review administration, copyediting, production, digital infrastructure, indexing, archiving, and author support. They also enable us to compensate reviewers and editorial assistants for their contributions—something that remains rare in academic publishing.

We are committed to keeping publication fees affordable. Our APCs are typically 70% lower than those charged by leading commercial publishers in the circular economy and sustainability fields, while maintaining rigorous editorial standards and a professional publishing experience.

JoCE is an independent, mission-driven journal. Editorial decisions are made solely by our external editorial board on the basis of scholarly merit, and APCs are only charged after a manuscript has successfully completed peer review and been accepted for publication.

Unlike many large publishing houses, our goal is not to maximise profit. APC revenue is reinvested into improving the journal, supporting the research community, compensating reviewers, and expanding access to high-quality open-access publishing. In addition, JoCE receives unconditional support from Roskilde University, helping us pursue our mission of making impactful circular economy research accessible to the broadest possible audience.