Royal Society Journals Pivot to Open Access

Libraries Urged to Support “Subscribe to Open” Model

The prestigious Royal Society is embarking on a significant shift in scholarly publishing, aiming to make its renowned journals freely accessible to all readers and authors starting next year.

A New Era of Open Access

In a groundbreaking move, the society is adopting a “subscribe to open” model. This initiative relies on the support of libraries worldwide, which are being asked to continue their journal subscriptions to fund the transition to open access.

Should sufficient library participation be secured, eight of the society’s subscription-based titles, including the historic *Philosophical Transactions A and B*, will become entirely open access. This means papers published within these esteemed journals will be available online without cost, and author fees will be eliminated.

Global Reach and Equity

The society stated that its journals would then “become free to read and publish in for any author or reader, not just those associated with a subscribed library.” This aims to broaden access and foster greater global scientific discourse.

This initiative is planned as a recurring offer, with the Royal Society working collaboratively with libraries, institutions, and consortia to establish lasting “read and publish agreements” that ensure a sustainable open access future.

“This will help us transition more quickly and equitably, and is the right approach at this stage of our open access journey.”

—Rod Cookson, Publishing Director for the Royal Society

Rod Cookson, the society’s publishing director, expressed optimism about the model’s potential. He believes it will enhance the journals’ future impact by increasing readership among a wider array of international researchers.

Innovation in Scholarly Communication

Mark Walport, vice president and chair of the Royal Society’s publishing board, highlighted the organization’s long-standing commitment to scientific publishing innovation. He noted this proposal as a natural progression in that tradition.

“This proposal is a natural next step which, along with the society’s ongoing review on the ‘future of scientific publishing’, continues the tradition of innovation it has brought to scholarly communication since launching the world’s first scientific journal in 1665.”

—Mark Walport, Vice President and Chair of the Royal Society’s Publishing Board

This strategic shift aligns with the broader trend towards open science. For example, the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) currently lists over 18,000 journals providing open access content, underscoring the growing global demand for freely available research (DOAJ).