{"id":455,"date":"2021-10-27T12:50:08","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T12:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.plymouth.ac.uk\/research\/?p=455"},"modified":"2021-10-27T14:59:01","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T14:59:01","slug":"elsevier-negotiations-what-lies-ahead-for-uk-universities-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.plymouth.ac.uk\/research\/2021\/10\/27\/elsevier-negotiations-what-lies-ahead-for-uk-universities-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Elsevier negotiations: what lies ahead for UK universities"},"content":{"rendered":"

The current\u00a0ScienceDirect\u00a0contract\u00a0between Elsevier and\u00a0UK\u00a0universities\u00a0is due for renewal on the\u00a031<\/b>st<\/b>\u00a0of December 2021<\/b>. A\u00a0UK-wide consortium<\/a>\u00a0has been formed in the hopes of re-negotiating the terms of this contract, which as it stands is not\u00a0sufficient to meet the\u00a0sector\u2019s\u00a0growing\u00a0needs.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0desired\u00a0outcome of these\u00a0negotiations\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0comprehensive\u00a0transformative (\u2018read and publish\u2019)\u00a0agreement<\/a>\u00a0which\u00a0will cover access to Elsevier\u2019s\u00a0journals\u00a0as\u00a0well as\u00a0open access publishing costs.\u00a0Such an agreement would enable researchers to comply with funder policies and sector requirements,\u00a0while\u00a0also constraining sector costs.<\/p>\n

Although\u00a0negotiations are still ongoing, universities\u00a0across the UK\u00a0are preparing\u00a0for a no-agreement scenario\u00a0in the event that\u00a0a deal cannot be struck.\u00a0Find out how this\u00a0would affect researchers at the University of Plymouth below.<\/p>\n

Change\u00a0is\u00a0necessary<\/b><\/h3>\n

Elsevier is the largest publisher of UK research, and subscriptions to\u00a0its content\u00a0consume\u00a0an enormous proportion of\u00a0library\u00a0budgets:\u00a0of the total amount paid to the top twelve academic publishers through\u00a0Jisc\u00a0negotiated agreements, subscriptions to Elsevier accounted for\u00a034% of the spend in 2019<\/a>.\u00a0In the same year, the company which owns Elsevier (RELX Group) made a\u00a0profit of 31%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite the\u00a0tremendous cost\u00a0of\u00a0its\u00a0subscription fees,\u00a0Elsevier\u00a0is now the\u00a0only major publisher\u00a0not to have\u00a0established\u00a0a\u00a0transformative agreement\u00a0for UK\u00a0universities.<\/b>\u00a0A\u00a0transformative (or \u2018read and publish\u2019) agreement<\/a>\u00a0is one that\u00a0integrates the cost of open access publishing\u00a0with\u00a0\u2018read\u2019\u00a0access to content, with the aim of reducing the sector\u2019s total spend while allowing researchers to publish\u00a0open\u00a0access content at no cost to themselves. Elsevier\u2019s competitors\u00a0all provide such contracts for UK universities.<\/p>\n

In light of\u00a0new funder policies and sector requirements<\/a>,\u00a0the\u00a0imperative\u00a0for researchers to publish\u00a0open\u00a0access is greater than ever.\u00a0It is\u00a0neither\u00a0acceptable\u00a0nor sustainable\u00a0for\u00a0the sector to\u00a0continue to\u00a0meet\u00a0the\u00a0ever-rising\u00a0cost of\u00a0Elsevier subscriptions\u00a0which\u00a0currently\u00a0do nothing to\u00a0accommodate\u00a0the\u00a0growing need for\u00a0open access.\u00a0Left unchanged,\u00a0the contract\u00a0between Elsevier and UK universities\u00a0would\u00a0hinder the movement towards open access, restrict researchers\u2019 publishing freedoms,\u00a0and\u00a0exhaust university funds\u00a0which\u00a0could be put to better use.\u00a0As the renewal date for this\u00a0contract\u00a0approaches,\u00a0it\u00a0is\u00a0therefore crucial\u00a0that its terms are renegotiated.<\/p>\n

Negotiations\u00a0with\u00a0Elsevier\u00a0commenced\u00a0in March\u00a0this year,\u00a0led by the sector and facilitated by\u00a0Jisc<\/a>.\u00a0The desired outcome of these negotiations is\u00a0to\u00a0produce\u00a0an agreement\u00a0which\u00a0is affordable for UK universities,\u00a0and\u00a0which\u00a0combines\u00a0the costs of both reading and open access<\/b>,\u00a0<\/b>in line with other\u00a0transformative agreements.<\/p>\n