Springer Nature announces plan for open access publishing of research papers

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Publisher Springer Nature has announced an open access option for researchers who do not want their papers locked behind a paywall. Starting in January, Springer Nature will allow researchers to pay for open access publication.


For the past several decades, as printed versions of journals that publish scientific research papers have moved online, there have been calls to make such sites open access. As it now stands, most respected journals charge a subscription fee. Publishers such as Springer Nature (which publishes multiple journals such as Nature, Nature Communications, Nature Physics, etc.) have contended that allowing free access to research would put them out of business—ad revenue, they note, could not possibly cover publication costs and the enormous costs of peer review. They note that most of their review budget is currently spent on papers that are ultimately rejected.

The announcement by Springer Nature comes as publishers face increasing pressure to make access to more of their content free of charge because many research institutions around the world cannot afford the subscriptions fees (researchers in research organizations make up the bulk of paper readers because they use them as research material). Organizations such as Plan S that collect funds from donors to support researchers have begun to demand open access to the research they fund.

In response, Springer Nature is testing a plan that would charge researchers up front to publish open access papers: £8,290, €9,500, or US$11,390. They are also simultaneously testing other options for some of their lesser known publications. They note that several Plan S funders have already agreed to pay such fees for some researchers, though they have expressed concern about the high price.

Two of the other major publishers of research papers, Cell Press and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which publishes the Science line of journals, have not yet announced plans for open access publication, but have suggested that they are looking into options.


Journal team adds reviewer pay to open-access model


More information:
group.springernature.com/gp/gr … re-journals/18614608

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Citation:
Springer Nature announces plan for open access publishing of research papers (2020, November 25)
retrieved 25 November 2020
from https://phys.org/news/2020-11-springer-nature-access-publishing-papers.html

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