Anne Brown and Kathya De Silva
Amid rising costs and persistent pressures in academic publishing, peer-reviewed journals face increasing challenges in upholding standards and delivering high-quality service to their scholarly communities.
Our official publication, the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (ANZJPH), is not immune from those pressures.
In order to meet current demands while maintaining journal excellence, the Author Publication Charge (APC) will rise by a modest five per cent from 1 August 2025. This is a small rise relative to other similar standing journals. Rates for publishing articles differ according to the type of submission.
For members, that means a slight APC increase to USD 478 from USD 434 excluding taxes. Even with the price hike, PHAA members will still enjoy an 83 per cent discount for publishing, compared to non-members. That discount represents several years of membership.
For non-members, the APC will increase to USD 2,810 from USD 2,600 excluding taxes.
Click here to access author guidelines.
The change aims to overcome financial challenges in academic publishing while maintaining a high-quality, peer-reviewed journal. It also adheres to our contractual obligations with the publisher, Elsevier. Increases will occur on an annual basis in August each year, however, for this financial year only, another ad-hoc increase will occur in March 2026.
“The academic publishing system is sheer madness,” said PHAA CEO, Adjunct Prof Terry Slevin.
“People who do all the work – mostly for free – to create the research, write the research, and have it published in scientific literature in the end, also pay a fee for that privilege. To me, that makes no sense.
“However, we don’t have the power to change that system. All we can do is operate within it,” Professor Slevin added.
PHAA receives some royalties and will continue to publish the journal for the sole intention of promoting health research and making improvements in the public health sphere. The journal was also one of the first to commence Open Access publishing.
“The association will continue to provide ongoing publication discounts,” Prof Slevin said.
“We have been very determined to ensure that PHAA members get the greatest possible discount so as to make publishing their scientific work more accessible.
“The journal is an important part of who we are and what we do. We are prepared to continue doing that but of course, we try and do so in a manner to ensure the journal has the highest possible quality at the most reasonable possible price,” Prof Slevin added.
Scientists and researchers are fundamental underpinning to public health. Research that achieves outcomes is an essential ingredient to good public policy in public health. Having the Australian and New Zealand journal creates an environment where top-tier public health research can be published. This is one of the reasons for the journal to be a much sought-after resource for academics to be seen, heard, and referenced.
“Our journal has an increasing reach and used in a wide variety of circumstances. PHAA is successfully promoting journal research through its communications platforms. The standing of the journal is also reflected in a number of metrics, along with PHAA’s communications strategy further driving those metrics,” said Prof Slevin.
Published six times a year, the journal has a CiteScore of 4.0 and an Impact Factor of 2.4, indicating the substantial number of citations received for the journal. It is competitive to get published in journals.
The journal has a growing readership with well over one million downloads each year. It’s the place to publish if you want your research to be seen and have a timely impact on public health. Being frequently referenced by regional and national media, for example, also creates more visibility for authors’ work and maximises the reach of their research.
ANZJPH is the only journal that gives an overview of research across the broad range of PHAA interests, aiming to attract more than one or two of the many levels of workers in healthcare assessment and delivery. It carries discussions of research projects, reviews, views and historical pieces.
The journal welcomes contributions from researchers dedicated to advancing public health knowledge and improving the health and wellbeing of people in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Anne Brown is PHAA’s Operations and Finance Manager and Kathya De Silva is Communications Officer.