{"id":2580,"date":"2019-05-14T08:32:38","date_gmt":"2019-05-14T08:32:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/uk-universities-may-soon-do-away-with-journal-subscriptions-hints-lead-negotiator\/"},"modified":"2025-02-19T10:28:16","modified_gmt":"2025-02-19T10:28:16","slug":"uk-universities-may-soon-do-away-with-journal-subscriptions-hints-lead-negotiator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.editage.com\/insights\/uk-universities-may-soon-do-away-with-journal-subscriptions-hints-lead-negotiator","title":{"rendered":"UK universities may soon do away with journal subscriptions, hints lead negotiator"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK is likely to abandon expensive journal subscriptions for more \u201cread and publish\u201d agreements, taking cue from other European nations like Germany<\/a> and Norway<\/a>. The consortium of UK universities, like its counterparts in other countries, is \u201cno\u00a0longer willing to pay for outdated systems\u201d offered by commercial publishers like Elsevier, says Liam Earney, director of licensing at Jisc Collections \u2013 an organization that negotiates with publishers on behalf of the UK educational institutions. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

On April 26, 2019, the UK consortium announced that it signed a \u00a39.6 million agreement<\/a> with Springer Nature to extend its read and publish subscription deal. Under the agreement, papers in 2,150 Springer journals will be made available to UK researchers and they will be allowed to make their articles freely available in Springer\u2019s hybrid journals. The publisher said that this deal was an effort towards meeting the Plan S open access guidelines; the deal, however, does not include Nature<\/i> journals.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cInternationally, I\u00a0think we are witnessing a shift, and we will start to see more of these types of publish-and-read agreements<\/a>,\u201d added Earney. While negotiating the deal, the commitment to open access \u201cstruck\u201d him. However, striking a deal that suited the interests of both the parties was not easy, he said. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The UK\u2019s deal with Springer Nature followed the announcement of Dutch publisher Elsevier\u2019s first ever read and publish deal<\/a>, which it signed with the Norwegian consortium; the deal was signed after Norway\u2019s negotiations with Elsevier had stalled<\/a> as the publisher initially refused to sign such a deal.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Earney observed that the UK\u2019s success in reaching transitional agreements is paving way for more open access material, and he would like other negotiators to take inspiration from the UK\u2019s deals as it will help speed up the transition to open access models. \u201cUniversities are in the midst of a period of real financial uncertainty,\u201d he notes, and therefore, before signing an agreement, they need to ensure that the publisher has a full commitment towards the open access transition. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

According to Earney, UK universities wish to continue to work with Springer, although the publisher needs to \u201cput a workflow in place to support the transition to open access.\u201d He hopes that the next time they renew the deal, \u201cupfront [subscription] payments would be redundant.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It remains to be seen how the UK\u2019s move in the open access movement shapes up further discussion. What do you think about this latest development? Please share your views on the nation\u2019s stance in the comments section below. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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