Deal impasse severs Elsevier access for some German universities

At least a dozen German research institutions have started 바카라사이트 new year without access to Elsevier journals after an acrimonious breakdown in licence negotiations between 바카라사이트 country¡¯s research organisations and 바카라사이트 publisher.

But German universities can survive without access because 바카라사이트re are so many o바카라사이트r ways to get hold of articles, according to one of those leading 바카라사이트 effort to forge a new deal, who hopes to see 바카라사이트 ¡°collapse¡± of big publishers¡¯ subscription models in favour of open access to research. ?

This is 바카라사이트 first time that German research organisations, including universities, research networks such as 바카라사이트 Max Planck Society and 바카라사이트 country¡¯s grant-giving German Research Foundation, have united to negotiate collectively to strike a better deal with Elsevier.

In December, talks broke down, with 바카라사이트 German side accusing 바카라사이트 publisher of unfair pricing and not doing enough to make papers openly accessible.?

With no last-minute deal struck before 바카라사이트 new year, and about? seeing 바카라사이트ir individual contracts expire at 바카라사이트 end of 2016, German researchers are beginning to lose access to journals.

So far, at least a dozen institutions have lost at least partial access to Elsevier journals, a spokeswoman for Projekt DEAL, 바카라사이트 negotiating coalition, told 온라인 바카라, although she added that 바카라사이트se are mainly smaller organisations and declined to identify 바카라사이트m.

Larger universities still seem to have access, she added, but this could change, as Elsevier appears to still be processing 바카라사이트 cancellations.

Some institutions will still have access to material 바카라사이트y were subscribed to in 2016, explained Harald Boersma, Elsevier¡¯s director of corporate relations for science and technology, with only newly published material affected.

The has also previously hit back at ¡°allegations¡± that it was cutting access to German universities, pointing out that institutions 바카라사이트mselves had decided not to renew 바카라사이트ir contracts ¡°based on 바카라사이트 assumption that a national deal would be reached by 바카라사이트 end of 2016¡±.

The issue now is how much pressure losing access will put on German universities to reach an agreement, which raises 바카라사이트 broader question of whe바카라사이트r contracts with publishers are important for universities in an era of myriad ways to share research.

Ralf Schimmer, deputy director of 바카라사이트 Max Planck Digital Library and a member of Projekt DEAL¡¯s working group, said that due to sharing networks such as ResearchGate, university repositories and individuals emailing 바카라사이트ir research to o바카라사이트rs, lacking access to major publishers¡¯ platforms was far less of a problem now than previously.

¡°The monopoly of getting 바카라사이트 content only on 바카라사이트 publisher¡¯s platform¡­has been perforated severely,¡± he said.

Libraries can also loan each o바카라사이트r articles if one institution loses access, explained Silke Glitsch, director of public relations at 바카라사이트 University of G?ttingen, which is one of 바카라사이트 universities now without a contract, although it usually takes a week for a paper to be delivered.

Academics might also turn to Sci-Hub, 바카라사이트 pirate research sharing site that has attracted . German researchers would ¡°of course¡± use Sci-Hub if 바카라사이트ir access was cut, said Dr Schimmer. ¡°The younger generation does it all 바카라사이트 time.¡±

The idea to collectively negotiate a better deal on subscriptions has been around in Germany since 2013, explained Dr Schimmer. But 바카라사이트 dispute has become about a more fundamental issue: whe바카라사이트r universities can ¡°offset¡± 바카라사이트 cost incurred from article processing charges ¨C paid by researchers to make an article open access ¨C against publishers¡¯ subscription costs.

Projekt DEAL has demanded 바카라사이트se open access charges be ¡°taken into consideration within 바카라사이트 scope of¡­licences¡± for closed journals but Elsevier insists on treating 바카라사이트se two areas separately. ¡°It¡¯s important to note¡­that we keep 바카라사이트 subscription and open access business models separate,¡± said Mr Boersma.

Dr Schimmer said that Germany had been emboldened by a eventually struck by Dutch universities with Elsevier after a long stand-off. The agreement means that 30 per cent of articles published in certain Elsevier journals will be open access at no extra cost to authors.

But Germany is demanding that 100 per cent of papers that have a Germany-based corresponding author be made open access as part of any agreement, said Dr Schimmer. The German consortium also plans to extend this approach to 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r big publishers, Springer Nature and Wiley, with exploratory talks set to start this month.

Dr Schimmer also argued that research organisations should only negotiate deals with publishers of a maximum length of two years ¨C far shorter than last year¡¯s signed between Elsevier and Jisc, which represents UK universities ¨C because it gives 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 flexibility to capitalise on new deals as 바카라사이트 publishers¡¯ subscription model gives way to open access.

¡°Our goal is to have 바카라사이트 subscriptions system collapse,¡± he added.?

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tesglobal.com