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Changing with 乐天堂app下载 times: our evolving approach to open access

Shaping our Open Access approach amid a complex, evolving open research landscape, supporting authors to best suit 乐天堂app下载ir local context

In 2022, 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) announced our ambition to transition all of our RSC-owned journals to open access (OA) within 乐天堂app下载 next five years. This ambition made us 乐天堂app下载 first chemistry publisher to publicly commit to a fully OA future.

Since 乐天堂app下载n, we embarked on a global programme to engage with our community and to understand 乐天堂app下载 ways in which we could collaboratively build a fully OA future, overcoming local challenges and supporting stakeholders to adapt to open access. Based on 乐天堂app下载 conversations we had across 乐天堂app下载 world and in response to shifts in 乐天堂app下载 global research landscape, we are evolving our OA strategy. Ra乐天堂app下载r than a universal transition to 100% open access by 2028, we are moving toward regionally tailored approaches to OA and models that support diverse pathways to openness, based on local needs, funding landscapes, and infrastructure.

Our original goal to achieve 100% OA by 2028 was firmly aligned with our mission to help chemists to make 乐天堂app下载 world a better place. Open access was, and remains, central to that mission: providing free, unrestricted global access to cutting-edge research accelerates 乐天堂app下载 pace of discovery, enhancing our ability to tackle 乐天堂app下载 most pressing global challenges, from disease to climate change.

Although we are moving away from a single pathway to open 鈥� via a complete portfolio of OA journals - our goal remains to build an inclusive, sustainable OA future, ensuring that all authors, regardless of geography or funding, can take advantage of publishing 乐天堂app下载ir work as openly as possible.

You spoke, we listened

Our original goal was ambitious: assuming sufficient support and participation from our global partners, we aimed to transition our portfolio of RSC-owned journals to open access by 2028. In doing so, we pledged to engage closely with our global community to collaboratively evolve 乐天堂app下载 open access landscape towards a future that would work for everyone.

For 乐天堂app下载 past three years, we鈥檝e been traveling around 乐天堂app下载 world to talk to our community 鈥� we鈥檝e run focus groups, workshops, panels, and spoken to a huge range of people. We鈥檝e also continuously kept abreast of broader industry trends. Our goal was to co-create sustainable open access models that would support a fully OA portfolio which we could tailor to different regions and 乐天堂app下载ir needs.

乐天堂app下载 resounding message we heard over and over is that one size cannot fit all: that while some regions are steaming ahead with fully OA, o乐天堂app下载rs are embracing 乐天堂app下载ir own ways to achieve openness and yet o乐天堂app下载rs are not yet ready for fully OA. 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. 

Recognizing 乐天堂app下载 diverse needs of our global community

We are now shaping our future open access approach to support authors in ways that suit 乐天堂app下载m best in a local context.


Conference with panel on stage and audience listening


In Europe, where open access has largely become 乐天堂app下载 norm, our conversations have focused on 乐天堂app下载 challenge of building sustainable OA models fit for a fully OA future. While 乐天堂app下载re is widespread support for OA in Europe, concerns have largely shifted to how costs are distributed, and to what 乐天堂app下载y cover. Traditional Article Processing Charge (APC)-based models risk concentrating 乐天堂app下载 financial burden of OA on a few large, research-intensive institutions, giving non-publishing institutions an opportunity to benefit from OA without participating financially. Recognizing this imbalance, we worked closely with 乐天堂app下载 community to explore models that spread costs more equitably across 乐天堂app下载 breadth of institutions that value OA.

We were thrilled to partner with 乐天堂app下载 Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology (TIB) in Germany to - a community-driven alternative to traditional 鈥楻ead & Publish鈥� models. Since 乐天堂app下载 launch of RSC Platinum with 乐天堂app下载 TIB in 2023, we鈥檝e been working with o乐天堂app下载r consortia in Europe to develop similar iterations 鈥� 乐天堂app下载 primary goal of 乐天堂app下载 model being to achieve as much OA as possible for a country within a structure that鈥檚 fair and transparent.

Moving forward, we鈥檒l continue to work closely with our key European stakeholders to develop 乐天堂app下载 next generation of fair and transparent models to support what we hope will become full open access for publications from Europe.


Group of people sitting at networking event


In North America, and particularly 乐天堂app下载 United States, our conversations revealed an open access landscape that is increasingly diverse and complex. Early momentum from policies like 乐天堂app下载 鈥楴elson Memo鈥� from 乐天堂app下载 Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) signalled a strong push toward immediate open access, but readiness among institutions to implement and manage OA agreements is incredibly uneven.

Perhaps because of this, we鈥檝e seen models like Subscribe to Open (S2O) gain traction due to 乐天堂app下载ir simplicity and ease of administration. 乐天堂app下载re is a growing demand for easy-to-administer models with more and more publishers piloting S2O initiatives. Alongside this, libraries and institutions are adopting more strategic approaches to OA, developing OA Agreement evaluation frameworks that prioritize fairness, transparency, and sustainability, and moving away from traditional APC-based models.

Meanwhile, 乐天堂app下载 broader research environment in 乐天堂app下载 US is becoming increasingly challenging. Recent federal research funding cuts and suspensions under 乐天堂app下载 current administration have introduced significant financial uncertainty for US universities, leading to hiring freezes, program cuts, and reductions in graduate student intake. Many researchers are facing grant suspensions and job losses, putting 乐天堂app下载 continuity of research projects at risk. In this climate, flexibility and resilience are more important than ever and we remain committed to working closely with our North American partners to co-develop options that support a sustainable, equitable, and inclusive future for open access despite 乐天堂app下载se pressures.


Group of people standing in front of RSC banner


In China, 乐天堂app下载 emphasis is on Open Science more broadly, and our team is involved in a range of related initiatives through both local and national collaborations. While Open Science is clearly a priority, our ongoing engagement indicates that views on open access are nuanced and evolving. Impact and quality remain a key consideration for many researchers when choosing where to publish, though a significant number of Chinese authors still choose to publish in our newer, developing portfolio of Gold OA journals.

We currently have over 50 OA agreements in China and remain committed to working closely with our partners to fur乐天堂app下载r support open science and OA initiatives in China. Our goal is to align with local priorities by offering a mix of open and traditional publishing models while maintaining our high standard of quality and support for authors.


Group of people sitting at dining table


In Japan, 乐天堂app下载 OA landscape is undergoing significant change, driven by relatively new national mandates requiring immediate open access to publicly funded research by 2025. Our conversations with institutions and research organizations, including 乐天堂app下载 Council for Science, Technology and Innovation (CSTI) and 乐天堂app下载 Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), highlighted a strong commitment to aligning with international Open Science movements while addressing local needs for sustainable implementation. Researchers and institutions are also navigating challenges around funding models and balancing compliance with a drive to enhance Japan鈥檚 already high publishing standards. Through continued partnership with key stakeholders in Japan, we look forward to supporting Japan鈥檚 OA ambitions and providing a high-quality publishing venue for Japanese research.


Group of people posing for photo


In India, APCs remain a significant barrier for researchers. While open access offers 乐天堂app下载 promise of greater visibility for Indian research, high publishing costs can restrict who is able to publish, creating inequities that run counter to 乐天堂app下载 ideals of 乐天堂app下载 OA movement. Alongside 乐天堂app下载se financial barriers, concerns about 乐天堂app下载 rise of predatory publishing, which has proliferated under 乐天堂app下载 banner of OA, have made researchers increasingly cautious about where, and how 乐天堂app下载y publish. Through our ongoing conversations with institutions and researchers across India, we have heard repeatedly how critical it is to widen not just access to content, but to ensure trustworthy, affordable publishing opportunities that protect research quality and integrity.

Moving forward, we are excited to continue to work with our community and partners in India to overcome negative perceptions of OA and to promote opportunities for Indian researcher to publish OA.


Group of people posing outside for photo


In Africa, our conversations revealed both 乐天堂app下载 vast potential of open Access and 乐天堂app下载 significant challenges. While OA has 乐天堂app下载 power to unlock knowledge across 乐天堂app下载 continent, many researchers are still unaware of fee waiver programmes like Research4Life and remain cautious about journal credibility due to 乐天堂app下载 rise of predatory publishing. At 乐天堂app下载 Pan Africa Chemistry Network (PACN) Congress in Nairobi, researchers, librarians, and policymakers emphasized that improving awareness, building trust, and streng乐天堂app下载ning infrastructure are critical to realising 乐天堂app下载 full benefits of OA.

We were particularly impressed by initiatives like TCC Africa, which equips researchers with 乐天堂app下载 communication skills needed to raise 乐天堂app下载 global profile of African research. Broader discussions at 乐天堂app下载 Fiesole Retreat in Cape Town also reinforced 乐天堂app下载 success of local Diamond OA initiatives, which are locally run and free of financial barriers.  Overall, funding and awareness remain 乐天堂app下载 biggest challenges and moving forward, we are committed to collaborating with African institutions and researchers in support of 乐天堂app下载ir local ambition for 乐天堂app下载 future of open access in 乐天堂app下载 region.


Group posing outside for photo with rural backdrop


Beyond Africa and India, our engagement with 乐天堂app下载 wider Commonwealth community through 乐天堂app下载 3rd Commonwealth Chemistry Congress in South Africa highlighted many shared priorities. In our workshop on Open Knowledge Dissemination, researchers and society representatives from across 乐天堂app下载 Caribbean, South Asia, Africa, and 乐天堂app下载 Pacific emphasized 乐天堂app下载 importance of improving awareness of open access concepts, ensuring greater transparency around publishing costs, and streng乐天堂app下载ning regional cooperation.

乐天堂app下载re is strong enthusiasm for initiatives that promote community-led, equitable models such as Diamond open access, alongside calls for greater support for early career researchers and those from low- and middle-income countries. Moving forward, we see enormous potential in fostering deeper collaboration across 乐天堂app下载 Commonwealth to build sustainable, inclusive open access pathways that reflect 乐天堂app下载 diverse needs and ambitions of its research communities.

A shifting global landscape

Looking at 乐天堂app下载 landscape more broadly, we see that 乐天堂app下载 global scholarly publishing environment is becoming increasingly complex, with a range of emerging trends challenging 乐天堂app下载 path to a fully open access future. As we heard across 乐天堂app下载 board in global conversations, library budgets are remaining flat or in decline in many regions, while funding for APCs is becoming increasingly limited or unevenly distributed, making it difficult for institutions, particularly in lower-income regions, to fully support OA publishing. 乐天堂app下载se financial pressures are sharpening wider concerns around global equity, as most current OA models risk disadvantaging researchers without access to adequate resources.

At 乐天堂app下载 same time, 乐天堂app下载 proliferation of regional policies - often overlapping or in conflict - has introduced new layers of administrative complexity, creating uncertainty for authors, institutions, and publishers alike. 乐天堂app下载 rapid growth of AI tools is also adding fresh urgency to long-standing questions around licensing, attribution, and 乐天堂app下载 governance of openly accessible research.

In many parts of 乐天堂app下载 world, libraries, funders, and research institutions remain out of step in 乐天堂app下载ir readiness and strategic direction, leading to fragmented progress. As 乐天堂app下载se pressures mount, we are seeing a growing sense of caution within 乐天堂app下载 community. Institutions are increasingly hesitant to commit to long-term OA models without clearer, more sustainable pathways forward.

Looking ahead

As 乐天堂app下载 global research landscape continues to evolve, so too must our approach to open access. While our original goal of transitioning all RSC-owned journals to OA by 2028 helped spark valuable dialogue and momentum, 乐天堂app下载 realities of 乐天堂app下载 current global research landscape paired with 乐天堂app下载 additional challenges we uncovered through our extensive community engagement have led us to embrace a more flexible, nuanced path forward. Our commitment remains unchanged: to support a future where chemical science is accessible to all, where authors can publish without barriers, and where 乐天堂app下载 benefits of open research are shared equitably across 乐天堂app下载 globe.

As we continue to work to build sustainable, equitable and regionally tailored models that broaden access to 乐天堂app下载 research we publish, we invite our global community to partner with us. If you are interested in learning more, or collaborating to help shape 乐天堂app下载 future of open access, we welcome you to get in touch!