Image – Getty: Gorodenkoff
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
‘A More Inclusive and Equitable Research Environment’
In the sometimes seemingly endless march to open access—and the steady blizzard of announcements of transformative agreements, etc.—we have today (April 14) an announcement from Springer Nature that it has reached a goal to publish 50 percent of its primary research in open-access formats, a target that had been set in 2021 for the end of 2024.
In some commentary provided to the news media and based on an article by CEO Frank Vrancken Peeters, the company’s communications and PR people write, “But there is no silver bullet.” Instead, the company reports, the answer is to have “a range of levers at your disposal,” and indeed those transformative agreements are first on the list.
The “levers” that the company cites are:
- Transformative agreements: “Our 66 transformative agreements support researchers from more than 3,700 institutions, and are driving the transition of our hybrid journals. In 2024, 82 percent of open-access articles in our hybrid journals were published via transformative agreements. These agreements are also helping countries transition their research to open access, with some seeing up to a 70-percent uptake in open-access publishing in the first year. “
- Full open-access journals: “We launched 68 new full open-access journals in 2024, which published 73 percent of our open-access primary research. This demonstrates the importance of full open-access journals to the research community. Full open-access journals offer a direct route to open-access publishing,” in hopes of making the research immediately accessible to all.
- Innovative models: “Our Cureus portfolio introduced three new journals allowing free open-access publishing for well-drafted submissions, with a low editing fee for others. This model increases accessibility and affordability, opening open-access publishing to a wider audience, including non-academics. By offering flexible publishing options, we can cater to a diverse range of authors and ensure that research is accessible, regardless of financial constraints.
Frank Vrancken Peeters
Peeters’ statement also looks at how pace and scale are important.
“For instance,” the company’s media messaging says, “our transformative agreement in Japan expanded from 10 to 60 universities in two years, publishing more than 2,400 open-access articles.”
The company also sees “investing strongly in technology and AI” to be important, “with a particular focus on making the research process and publishing easier for authors, while also ensuring that we continue to protect the integrity and trust of research.”
It’s good to see that Springer Nature writes, “Despite progress from publishers, including Springer Nature, with for example article processing charge waivers and regional pricing pilots, equity in open-access publishing is not where it should be.
“Collaboration across publishers, researchers, funders, and institutions is needed to break down barriers to access and participation with ongoing efforts required to address disparities in access to funding, resources, and support. By working together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable research environment.”
More from Publishing Perspectives on open access is here, more on scholarly and academic publishing is here, and more on Springer Nature is here.