#ReadAndPublish

2025-11-23

"For Researchers in the Humanities, Is Open Really Fair?"
katinamagazine.org/content/art

PS: This article objects to #APCs and "transformative" (#ReadAndPublish) agreements, especially in the humanities. So far, so good. But then it leaves the false impression that all or most #OpenAccess falls into those two categories, which is false and harmful. It never mentions #GreenOA. It mentions #DiamondOA once, for books, and never for articles. It's strong on problems and very weak and even misleading on solutions.

I share the objections to APCs and read-and-publish agreements. I wrote stronger versions of them, extended to all disciplines, for the Budapest Open Access Initiative 20th anniversary statement.
budapestopenaccessinitiative.o

I'm in the humanities and (with the exception of one 1999 book) have made all my books and articles OA. I've never paid an APC and never will. I boycott APC-based publishers both as an author and referee and encourage others to do so.

Scholars in the humanities need accurate info about their OA options, not one-sided criticism of OA as such.

#BOAI20 #Humanities

2025-11-19

Thank you Harry Warner for sharing your experience of fee-free #OA publishing in Journal of Cell Science via our #ReadAndPublish agreement with University of Groningen @Bibliothecaris

Read Harry’s paper: bit.ly/4i3mInv

Is your institution participating? bit.ly/3O7BxGi

"Discovering that Journal of Cell Science is included in The Company of Biologists’ Read and Publish agreement with the University of Groningen was one of the many pleasures of publishing with them. I am continually impressed by the Company's commitment to promoting Open Access publishing."
2025-11-03

Thank you Adam Downie for sharing your experience of fee-free #OA publishing in Biology Open via our #ReadAndPublish agreement with The University of Queensland. Read Adam’s paper: bit.ly/4hA9vm1

See if your institution is participating too: bit.ly/3O7BxGi

"Open Access provides the opportunity for your research to reach a broader audience and therefore have greater impact. However, as an early-career researcher, the fees associated with unlocking such reach is quite high. I am very appreciative for The University of Queensland's Read & Publish agreement with The Company of Biologists for taking the financial burden off my shoulders to maximise my research's impact within my field and beyond."
2025-10-29

Thank you Adam Maclean for sharing your experience of fee-free Open Access publishing in Development via our Read & Publish agreement with The University of Queensland.

See all institutions: biologists.com/library-hub/rea

#OA #OpenAccess #ReadAndPublish #Publishing #Biology #Research #Academia

"I was delighted to publish an article in Development fee-free thanks to the Read & Publish agreement between the University of Southern California and The Company of Biologists. Not only is it a huge benefit for researchers to be able to publish Open Access while navigating uncertain funding environments, but I am thrilled that my institution and others through such agreements support The Company of Biologists: a not-for-profit publisher with a track record of supporting scientists and the work they do." Adam L. MacLean, University of Southern California, USA
2025-10-29

We are delighted to announce the renewal of our #ReadAndPublish agreement with JULAC which ensures that corresponding authors at participating institutions in #HongKong can publish an uncapped number of research articles #OpenAccess in our journals biologists.com/library-hub/rea

Logo - Joint University Librarians Advisory Committee
2025-10-13

Over 1,000 institutions in 55 countries are participating in our Read & Publish Open Access initiative.

Find out if your institution is included: biologists.com/library-hub/rea

#OpenAccess #OA #ReadAndPublish #Publishing #Academia #Science #Communication

Promotional graphic for The Company of Biologists highlighting their APC-free Open Access publishing initiative. The banner features the covers of five biology journal: Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms and Biology Open. Each journal cover displays vibrant scientific imagery. Key messages include “Publish Open Access research articles APC-free,” “Access all current & archive content,” and “Learn about our Read & Publish initiative.” The Company of Biologists logo is displayed, along with the URL: biologists.com/read-publish/researchers. The design uses a clean layout with bold text and colorful visuals to emphasise accessibility and support for researchers.
2025-09-10

Thank you Danilo Giacometti for sharing your experience of fee-free Open Access publishing in Journal of Experimental Biology via our Read & Publish agreement with Brock University.

See all participating institutions: biologists.com/library-hub/rea

#OpenAccess #OA #ReadAndPublish #Research #Publishing #JEB #Academia

"This is the second time I have published Open Access in Journal of Experimental Biology through the Read & Publish agreement with Brock University. I strongly believe that publishing Open Access helps our research reach a broader audience. This is a relevant opportunity for researchers with limited funding, and only one of the ways through which The Company of Biologists supports early-career researchers. Journal of Experimental Biology also offers immense support through ECR Spotlights, as well as research highlights such as Inside JEB. They also planted a tree in The Forest of Biologists on behalf of my paper, meaning that they are invested in conservation to boot." Danilo Giacometti, Brock University, Canada
2025-09-08

Unclear on the concept

This editorial in a #Wiley journal praises Wiley for promoting equitable #OpenAccess publishing in #LatinAmerica through #ReadAndPublish agreements that discount #APCs in proportion to national GDP.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10

PS: To me, equitable OA moves 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 from both APCs and read-and-publish agreements. For the arguments, see the Budapest Open Access Initiative 20th anniversary statement, especially recommendations 3 and 4.
budapestopenaccessinitiative.o

#BOAI #BOAI20 #DEI #Publishing #ScholComm

2025-08-29

Thank you Lily Kelleher for sharing your experience of publishing in our journal
Biology Open.

Find out if your institution has an Open Access publishing agreement with us:

biologists.com/library-hub/rea

#OpenAccess #OA #Publishing #Biology #Research #ReadAndPublish

Testimonial graphic featuring Lily Kelleher, a graduate student at The Ohio State University, USA, discussing the benefits of Biology Open’s fee-free Open Access publishing agreement. The background is black with The Company of Biologists' logo in the top left corner. A photo of Lily Kelleher appears in the bottom left, showing her standing outdoors near water and greenery. The testimonial highlights how the publishing agreement eased financial stress and enabled her to share her research widely as a first-generation graduate student and woman in STEM.
2025-08-18

Thank you Christian Schröter for sharing your experience of fee-free Open Access publishing in Journal of Cell Science via our Read & Publish agreement with University of Leiden.

Read Christian’s paper: journals.biologists.com/jcs/ar

See if your institution is also participating: biologists.com/library-hub/rea

#OpenAccess #OA #ReadAndPublish #Publishing #Academia #Writing #Science #Communication

"This was my first paper published in Journal of Cell Science, and it was an outright positive experience. The transfer of the manuscript from Review Commons worked smoothly, and the editorial assessment was open and fair. Having moved institutions in the middle of the publishing process, I was particularly happy that also my new institution, Leiden University, has a Read & Publish agreement with the journal in place, allowing us to make our article freely available immediately. I am a big fan of publishing with The Company of Biologists, having benefited from the community support by the Company myself several times." Christian Schröter, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Germany
2025-08-17

The _Journal of Clinical Monitoring and Computing_ is converting from #hybrid to #APC-based #OpenAccess. One of its motives to escape the #DoubleDipping of the hybrid model. "Although this hybrid approach was well-intentioned, it created a paradoxical situation where institutions pay [and publishers receive] both subscription fees and publication charges."
link.springer.com/article/10.1

PS: Glad to see it acknowledge the double dipping. Too many hybrid journals don't do that. Next step, escape the inequity and author-side barriers of the APC model.

#APCs #GoldOA #ReadAndPublish #ScholComm #SpringerNature

2025-07-21

"For Fairer Open Access Deals, Base Article Eligibility on Submission Date" @ Katina Magazine:
katinamagazine.org/content/art
"Under read-and-publish agreements, articles aren’t deemed eligible for open access publication until they are accepted by the publisher, leaving authors frustrated, libraries stuck, and everyone needlessly confused. There’s a better way."
#OpenAccess #ReadandPublish #Agreements

2025-07-04

Thanks Luis R. Martinez for sharing your experience of fee-free Open Access publishing in @DMM_Journal via our Read & Publish agreement with University of Florida.

Is your institution participating? biologists.com/library-hub/rea

#OpenAccess #OA #Academia #Academic #Publishing #ReadAndPublish

"I already knew about the outstanding reputation of Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM) and The Company of Biologists. However, when I learned that the University of Florida has a Read & Publish agreement that included free Open Access publication in DMM, I was delighted. The submission, review, and publication stages of our article exceeded my expectations. Perhaps, the biggest surprise was that they planted a tree in The Forest of Biologists in recognition of our article. This initiative is lovely. I encourage any university to support their investigators by providing them the opportunity to publish free, Open Access, and high quality articles through similar agreements."

Luis R. Martinez, University of Florida, USA
2025-07-01

We have over 1,000 institutions in 54 countries participating in our Read & Publish Open Access initiative.

Check if your institution is participating:

biologists.com/library-hub/rea

#ReadAndPublish #Publishing #AcademicPublishing #OpenAccess #OA #Academia #Science #STEM #Biology

2025-06-23

The Royal Society of Chemistry (#RSC) just issued a vague and puzzling statement about its plans.
rsc.org/news/our-evolving-appr

It once planned to convert all its journals to #OpenAccess by 2028. By which it apparently meant #APC-based OA. But after talking with customers in different parts of the world, it learned that some regions "are not yet ready for fully OA." By which it means APC-based OA. "The resounding message we heard over and over is that one size cannot fit all." By which it means that not all can pay APCs.

"It became clear that we needed to adapt our vision for openness to account for a landscape that is increasing in complexity and no longer coalescing around a single direction for open research." As if the global landscape had ever coalesced around support for APCs.

But RSC is still committed to some kind of transition to OA. "We are now shaping our future OA approach to support authors in ways that suit them best in a local context."

If it plans to support no-APC forms of OA, it carefully avoids saying so. It never mentions #GreenOA and never endorses #DiamondOA. (It mentions one diamond OA initiative in Africa, but it's not an RSC initiative.)

I'm guessing that it plans to rely on locally customized #ReadAndPublish agreements. (I've argued that all such agreements use APCs in disguise.) But if so, why not say so? If it has other models in mind for regions "not ready" for APC-based OA, why not say what they are?

#APCs #South #ScholComm

2025-05-22

Are you eligible for fee-free Open Access publishing? Does your institution have a Read & Publish agreement with us? Check if your institution is one of over 1,000 participating.

biologists.com/library-hub/rea

#OpenAccess #ReadAndPublish #Publishing #Academia #Research

Do you qualify for APC-free Open Access publishing? Find out at biologists.com/read-publish/institutions
2025-05-20

Thank you Maarten Zwart for sharing your experience of publishing in @J_Exp_Biol via our Read & Publish agreement with University of St Andrews.

Read & Publish participating institutions: biologists.com/library-hub/rea

#ReadAndPublish #OpenAccess #OA #Publishing #Academia #Paper #AcademicPublishing #Biology #Research #University

"Our Read & Publish agreement with The Company of Biologists was key to publishing our paper by stellar undergraduate Bella Zu Ying. We're very happy to have our story out in JEB, all the more for having a tree planted for us."

Maarten Zwart, University of St Andrews, UK.

Photograph of the three authors: Stefan Pulver, Bella Xu Ying,
Maarten Zwart (left to right)

Peter Barr explains why three UK #universities recently cancelled their #Elsevier #ReadAndPublish agreements and why these deals are unsustainable. www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?sto... #OpenAccess #ScholComm

Academic publishing could be f...

2025-02-15

Peter Barr explains why three UK #universities recently cancelled their #Elsevier #ReadAndPublish agreements and why these deals are unsustainable.
universityworldnews.com/post.p

PS: My own objections to these deals overlap significantly with Barr's. See the #BOAI20 Recommendation 4 ("Move away from read-and-publish agreements").
budapestopenaccessinitiative.o

#Cancellations #OpenAccess #ScholComm

#Academia
@academicchatter

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