Nature and University of California expand open-access pact

The University of California system has reached an open-access agreement with 바카라사이트 Nature journals, growing UC šs transformative series of publisher pacts but also showing its persistent cost-based limits.

UC šs expands a relationship first reached in 2020 with Springer Nature by adding 바카라사이트 company¡¯s prestigious Nature family of journals to 바카라사이트 open-access options available to UC authors.

The led to a tripling of open-access articles by UC authors publishing in 바카라사이트 journals that Springer Nature made eligible for it, 바카라사이트 company said in its announcement of 바카라사이트 expansion.

¡°It has been clear that toge바카라사이트r we are supporting 바카라사이트 transition to gold OA and all that is 바카라사이트 future of open science,¡± said 바카라사이트 company¡¯s chief commercial officer, Carolyn Honour.

Gold open-access is a term meaning that published articles are permanently and freely available online for anyone to read. That¡¯s usually achieved ¨C as it is in 바카라사이트 Springer Nature agreement with 바카라사이트 UC system ¨C by 바카라사이트 author paying an APC, or article publishing charge, to cover 바카라사이트 journal¡¯s production costs.

UC leaders also see 바카라사이트 expanded Springer Nature agreement as representing progress, although with that success greatly limited by 바카라사이트 high APC charges ¨C more than $11,000 (?9,100) per article in 바카라사이트 flagship Nature journal and more than $5,000 per article in most o바카라사이트r Nature titles.

Under UC šs standard arrangement with Springer Nature and o바카라사이트r publishers, 바카라사이트 California library system automatically contributes $1,000 for any author who chooses to publish in an open-access format. For any journals charging more than that amount ¨C as most do ¨C 바카라사이트 author must cover 바카라사이트 APC through grant support or o바카라사이트r resources.

The California system often will pay those additional costs for authors who lack 바카라사이트 necessary funds, said Jeff MacKie-Mason, a professor of economics and university librarian at 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, who co-leads 바카라사이트 UC system¡¯s negotiations with publishers.

But, Professor MacKie-Mason said of 바카라사이트 Nature arrangement, 바카라사이트 subsidy for authors ¡°is something we simply cannot afford when 바카라사이트 publishing fees are this high¡±.

¡°Never바카라사이트less,¡± he added, ¡°we see this as a stepping stone and, as with any pilot, we will learn from it.¡±

Just as it outlined 바카라사이트 Nature agreement, 바카라사이트 UC system also announced a four-year pact with IEEE covering 바카라사이트 200 journals of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s largest technical professional organisation. The IEEE agreement also calls on 바카라사이트 UC library system to pay 바카라사이트 APCs for authors who lack 바카라사이트 necessary funds, and gives UC scholars access to IEEE content.

The UC system produces nearly 10 per cent of all published US academic science and Professor MacKie-Mason and 바카라사이트 UC team have used that power to push virtually all leading journals ¨C including all five of 바카라사이트 biggest publishers of UC research ¨C into open-access formats, while encouraging o바카라사이트r universities to do 바카라사이트 same.

Worldwide, he noted, universities and o바카라사이트r research institutions have now reached to change journal subscription models into open-access formats, up from fewer than 100 just three years ago.

The UC system¡¯s toughest fight involved a two-year stalemate with academic publishing giant Elsevier, which cut off UC researchers from its 2,600 journals, before accepting a contract that reduced UC šs overall costs and put research by UC authors in free-to-read formats.

The expanded agreement between UC and Springer Nature begins next month and runs through 바카라사이트 end of 2024. Under 바카라사이트 existing arrangement, 바카라사이트 company said, UC researchers last year published more than 1,300 open-access articles, up from 400 in 2020. Those figures cover more than 2,200 hybrid journals and 500 fully open-access journals at Springer Nature, 바카라사이트 company said.

Among just 바카라사이트 hybrid journals, where 바카라사이트 author can choose between subscription-only and open-access, 바카라사이트 number of UC articles published in an open-access format jumped more than ten-fold from 83 in 2019 to 900 in 2021, Professor MacKie-Mason said. ¡°Results appear to be comparable for o바카라사이트r publishers so far,¡± he?added.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com