Not every peer-reviewed journal offers open access, and therefore, not every journal will require an article processing charge (APC) to publish!
The models for publishing an article in a journal are either traditional, open access, or hybrid. Other than special cases such as BMJ Case Reports* and its fellowship model, the publishing mode does not impact the peer review process. An article is peer-reviewed before it is accepted to be published, and there is no cost for an article to be peer-reviewed.
Once an article has been accepted, how the article is made available will be determined by the publishing mode.
Traditional
In this model, there is no fee for the author. The journal charges a fee to readers, either through a subscription (paid by an individual, or by a library on behalf of their population) or as an individual payment. In some cases the article will eventually become open access, usually after an embargo period of 6 months to several years.
Open Access
In this model, there is no fee for the reader. The articles are made available online to anyone with an internet connection. To cover costs, the author pays an article processing charge or APC. This fee is usually several thousand dollars. The article will be available open access upon payment.
Hybrid
In this model, authors have the option to either publish in the traditional model or the open access model. Please note that although a hybrid journal may have an APC, if they choose the traditional method, authors would not have to pay.
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Example of Hybrid Publishing: JAMA Cardiology
Traditional option: Free Public Access Option and Copyright Transfer. The author pays no fee, transfers copyright to the publisher, and the article will be pay-to-read for 12 months. The article will transfer to open access after that time at no cost to the author.
Open Access option: Author-Pay Open Access. The author pays an APC of $6000 and the article is Creative Commons licensed depending on the research funding source.
