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Open access publishing agreements

Subscribe to Open agreements

What is Subscribe to Open?

Subscribe to Open (S2O) is a model that some publishers are using to move their journals to fully open access for a particular year when they receive enough Library subscriptions. 

From a researcher’s perspective, when a journal is part of an S2O agreement, the current year’s publications are available open access, and any author publishing an article in the included journals will have their work published open access with no article processing charges (APCs).

 

How does Subscribe to Open work?

Subscribe to Open (S2O) model is activated when the publisher reaches a set target of library subscriptions for their journal(s) in a particular year. 

If the publisher's subscription target is reached, for that calendar year:

  • All content in the included journals is available open access
  • Researchers who publish in the included journals will have their work published open access immediately without paying an APC

If the publisher’s subscription target is not reached for that calendar year, the publications will remain behind a paywall.

 

 

Infographic has been adapted from Subscribe to Open by Annual Reviews (CC BY-SA). 

Current Subscribe to Open agreements

In 2024, UOW Library is supporting the Subscribe to Open agreement with Annual Reviews through the Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) consortium. 

The 2024 agreement with Annual Reviews means:

  • All 2024 Annual Reviews content will be available open access under a CC BY licence
  • Authors can publish their work open access in included Annual Reviews journals with no APC throughout 2024
  • Anyone in Australia and New Zealand has access to Annual Reviews content from 2013 onwards, regardless of whether they have access to an institutional subscription
    Note: back-dating access for audiences in Australia and New Zealand is a feature is specific to the agreement with Annual Reviews, it is unlikely to be included in other publishers' Subscribe to Open models

A number of publishers are trialling Subscribe to Open models in 2024. When selecting a journal to publish in, you may come across Subscribe to Open agreements that are not financially supported by UOW Library. Check the details of the agreement on the publisher's website to see if you are eligible to publish open access without paying an APC.

 

Library support

If you have any questions about Subscribe to Open, contact the Research & Engagement team to discuss the agreements with a librarian.

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