PRODUCTS & SYSTEMS · 2026 · INTERNAL TOOL · POLICY CURRENTNESS UNVERIFIED
The detail I kept losing in journal comparisons was the date attached to each condition. I built an internal HTML view that brought together zero-charge publication routes, quartile information and processing speed.
The interactive file exists and was completed internally. I have not refreshed every APC policy, ranking source or timing claim for publication, so this draft does not name journals or present a current league table. The tool also has no external users or adoption.
“Free” described several different routes
No submission fee, an author charge of zero and permission to apply for a waiver are not equivalent. The comparison treated a confirmed payable publication charge of zero as its own condition. A possible or post-submission waiver could not safely occupy the same field.
Quartiles and speed figures also needed provenance. A number reported by a journal, an index value and an estimate assembled elsewhere have different meanings and change on different schedules. Filters can narrow a list, but stale inputs only make a bad decision look orderly.
The larger validation began after the interface worked
A working file proves that the comparison logic was implemented. It does not prove that every candidate still uses the same publication model, charge, quartile or processing timeline. The central premise also fails if a conditional discount is counted as APC zero.
Before reuse, each row would need an official source and review date, with any unconfirmed zero-charge route excluded automatically. Until that audit is complete, this is a decision-interface prototype rather than a valid ranking of current journals.
Project record
Period: 2026
Role: comparison criteria, filters and interactive HTML implementation
Internal evidence: a functioning comparison-tool file
External validation: none
Final outcome: internally complete; current policies, metrics, timing and user value remain unverified