The benefits of open access agreements and how they work
Helping researchers worldwide publish open access
Open access (OA) is shaping the future of scholarly publishing, and we are doing all we can to build an open future that works for everyone.
This includes developing services that will help you – whether you’re the one publishing, the one reading, or the one managing the entire process – to make important research more easily available. Read more about open access publishing and research.
Let us introduce you to our open access agreements.
On this page
What are open access agreements?
Open access agreements offer an alternative to traditional subscription models. They are arranged between us and an institution and offer authors a simple and cost-effective route to open access publishing. Agreements differ depending on the terms set out between the parties. However, as standard, all agreements include unlimited reading of every article published in our journal portfolio.
What are the benefits?
For authors
Mandate-friendly. The scheme will support you as you work to meet funding requirements and make open access your default publishing choice
Profile-raising. Overall, articles published open access in our journals are downloaded more often, raising the visibility of your work, and of you as an author
Easy to use. During the publishing process, the system will identify you as being from an institution with an open access agreement and show you available options
For institutions
Tailored and transparent. Your open access agreement will be built around your publishing output and priced accordingly
Transformative. The open access landscape is changing fast. Our model has the potential to support a global transition which prioritises the needs of the scientific community
Simple to manage. If you are responsible for managing your agreement, you will receive monthly usage reports and activity notifications
Guidelines for authors
- Our journal finder lets you know which journals your open access agreement covers. Enter your institution and discover your publishing options
- To be eligible, you must be listed as the corresponding author on our online submission system and in your manuscript. Our system will automatically identify your institution from your official institutional email address if an open access agreement is in place
- Extras cost more. Fees for things like reprints or cover artwork count as extra charges, so make sure to factor this in
When you are ready to publish
Our submission process remains simple:
- Find out if your institution has signed an open access agreement, and if it covers the journal you would like to publish in, using our journal finder
- Send us your manuscript via our submission system, making sure you use your official institutional email address as the corresponding author. Our systems will automatically identify if you are covered by an agreement and apply the discount
- If your article is accepted, our system will then clearly signpost the rest of the process to you, including your licence options
Our open access community
We have agreements with ~1,500 institutions from 41 countries. Find out which institutions have recently joined or are already part of our open access community.
You can also read news and further information relating to our open access agreement scheme.
Contact customer services
We're here to help. Contact our customer services team if you have any questions about publishing with us. Our office is open 9am - 4pm (UK time), Monday to Friday.
Tel:+44 (0) 1223 432176
Related pages
Sharing your research
We can help you increase your impact by sharing your research with as many people as possible, including scientists, funders, policymakers and public.
Open access agreements
Helping researchers worldwide publish open access
Your open access options
Choosing to publish open access is easy and straightforward – and it is possible in every ÀË»¨Ö±²¥ journal. Find out how.