DOAJ clarifies its language

The Directory of Open Access Journals has dropped the terms "author fees" and "author pays" from the search filter and journal records within its new "for authors" section.  Instead, it now refers to "publication fees".

Comment.  Many thanks to the DOAJ.  This is just a change of terminology, but it's a very welcome and important one.  The new language is neutral, as it should be, on who pays the fees at fee-based OA journals and no longer leaves the false impression that the fees must be paid by authors.  In fact, the fees are often waived or paid by the author's employer or funder.  I hope the change propagates throughout the academic world.

The DOAJ was always precise enough to use the old terms only for fee-based OA journals, and now its language is even more precise.  Many scholars, publishers, and journalists, however, have an even greater correction to make, since they still use the old terms for all OA journals whatsoever and therefore even for no-fee OA journals.