Is Acta Histochemica et Cytochemica (AHC) an Open Access Journal?

Updated

Yes. Acta Histochemica et Cytochemica (AHC) lists an Open Access Policy among its official journal policies, and its articles are published online through the J-STAGE platform, where they can be browsed directly. If you need to confirm the exact terms — for example, the specific license applied to a given article or how reuse is permitted — check the Open Access Policy page linked from the journal site rather than assuming a single blanket license covers everything.

What the journal's policy pages show

The AHC website groups its editorial and policy information in the main navigation. Alongside standard sections such as Browse Articles, Instructions to Authors, Submission, and Editorial Board, the site lists:

  • Open Access Policy — the journal's stated open access terms
  • Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement — its research and publication ethics position
  • Digital Archiving and Repository Policy — how content is preserved and archived

The presence of a dedicated Open Access Policy page, combined with online publication via J-STAGE, is the basis for treating AHC as an open access journal.

How the articles are actually delivered

AHC's content is served through J-STAGE, the Japanese platform for academic journals. The site's Latest Articles and Best Articles sections are both labeled "Powered by J-STAGE," and each listed article carries a DOI under the 10.1267/ahc.* prefix with a release date. For a reader, this means:

  1. You reach articles through the journal site's Browse Articles section or directly via the DOI.
  2. The DOI resolves through the standard DOI system to the article record.
  3. Access terms for that article are governed by the journal's Open Access Policy.

The journal also states an Online ISSN 1347-5800.

What "open access" does and does not tell you here

Open access status answers the question of whether you can read the articles online without a subscription barrier. It does not, by itself, tell you:

  • Which license applies to a specific article (for example, whether commercial reuse is allowed).
  • Whether any fees fall on readers — the journal's stated charges are author-side, not reader-side.
  • How far back open access applies across the archive.

For licensing and reuse questions, the Open Access Policy page is the authoritative source; for preservation and repository deposit questions, use the Digital Archiving and Repository Policy page.

Practical notes for different users

If you are… What to do
A reader looking for an article Use Browse Articles on the journal site, or resolve the article's DOI
An author checking reuse rights for your own paper Read the Open Access Policy page before submission
A librarian or repository manager Check the Digital Archiving and Repository Policy for deposit terms
Someone verifying ethics standards See the Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Related facts worth knowing

  • Impact factor: 1.9 (2025); 5-year impact factor 2.3.
  • Publisher: the journal is published by the Japan Society of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry (JSHC), which also appears in its fee structure.
  • Author costs (separate from open access reading): from submissions dated June 1, 2024, an Article Processing Charge applies — JPY 100,000 standard, or JPY 50,000 for JSHC members — in addition to conventional page charges of JPY 5,000 per page. These are author-side charges and do not affect reader access.
  • Contact: the site directs inquiries to the Editorial Office by email.

If your decision depends on the precise license or reuse terms, go to the Open Access Policy page itself — the journal's own policy text, not a summary, is what governs.