Transformative Agreements - Get Published!

A Transformative Agreement (TA) is a set of terms negotiated in a license between a publisher and a library, library system/consortia, or national organization, which is fundamentally designed to shift costs away from subscription-based reading and toward open access publishing. While there is a long road ahead, a TA is transitional in that the purpose is to eventually shift costs to publishing and eliminate subscription-based reading access to scholarly research.

A transformative agreement (also called read and publish agreement) is a way for institutions to maintain access to scholarly content available only through subscription, while supporting the transition to open access publishing by their affiliated researchers. Institutions are, in effect, redirecting their expenditures on subscriptions to cover the open access article processing charges (APC).

Common terms included in a TA:

• Open Access (OA) option - Includes OA journals and the author's choice of publishing their work open or closed

• Copyright - Most TAs require that the author retain copyright control, and publish with a CC BY Creative Commons License (or the most flexible sharing license permitted by the researcher's funding requirements)

• Transparency - Terms of the agreement are typically made available to the public

• Article processing charges (APCs) - Paid partially or in full by the institution, rather than the author

Other terms which may vary by TA:

• Eligible journals - Whether the agreement applies to partial or full publisher portfolio; whether gold open access or hybrid journals are eligible

• Length of contract period

• Publishing limits - Does the library's payment apply to publishing charges ala carte, to a limited number of articles, or without limits

1) Partial or Full Relief from Article Processing Charge (APCs)

Depending on the publisher, it can cost you anywhere from two or three thousand, even over ten thousand dollars in APCs to publish your research. A TA helps to eliminate financial hurdles from scholarly publication by redirecting the APC payment to your institution.

2) Copyright Control

With most TAs, you retain copyright control over your own work. Learn more about rights retention or predatory publishing.

3) Choice of Publishing Open Access

A TA allows you to choose whether to publish open access. Should you target an eligible hybrid open access journal (requires a subscription to read), you still have the choice to publish fully open at the article level. You may also choose the Creative Commons license.

4) Flexibility with Funder Requirements

Some TAs automatically publish your paper in an institutional repository if your funding institution requires it. You may also choose a CC BY license if this is stipulated by your funder.