Fall may just be getting underway, but there were some important developments this summer regarding access to and publishing in scholarly journals. Here are the most important things to know.
Elsevier discontinued UC’s access to 2019 articles
Following a breakdown in contract negotiations between the University of California (UC) and scholarly journal publisher Elsevier earlier this year, Elsevier discontinued UC’s direct access to 2019 articles (and some older articles) in July. (Need a refresher on how we got here? Here’s an overview.)
- Looking for a 2019 Elsevier article? Information about other ways to access Elsevier articles is available on the Library’s website and summarized below. The Library has also implemented an expedited process for all Elsevier titles requested through the Interlibrary Loan form. The systemwide Academic Senate has encouraged stakeholders across UC to take advantage of these options and refrain from any new independent subscriptions to Elsevier journals at this time. “By ‘holding the line,’” the Senate leadership writes, “the UC can help change the system of scholarly communication for the betterment of all.”
- Looking for an earlier article? It’s probably still available via ScienceDirect. UC has permanent access rights to articles published before January 1, 2019, in most Elsevier journals, with certain exceptions.
- What’s next? UC is hoping to re-enter formal negotiations with Elsevier if the publisher indicates that it is willing to discuss a contract that achieves the faculty-supported goals of containing journal subscription costs while moving towards full open access to UC research — an objective deeply rooted in UC’s mission, as a public university, to make knowledge freely and openly available.
Accessing the articles you need
There are several options — plus, the Library is always here to help.
- Use tools like Google Scholar, Unpaywall and Open Access Button to quickly find open access copies, when available. Watch video tutorials to help you install and use these plugins and search tools.
- Email the corresponding author listed in the abstract to request a copy.
- Use the Interlibrary Loan request form (any request for content no longer licensed through Elsevier will automatically be placed into a special queue).
- Contact our Interlibrary Loan staff at ill@ucsd.edu so we can best meet your needs.
Funding support for open access publishing with Cambridge University Press
Meanwhile, it’s now easier and more affordable than ever for UC authors to publish open access articles in Cambridge University Press journals, thanks to an agreement UC reached with Cambridge last spring. During the 2019 launch phase, there will be no cost to UC authors to publish most* articles open access with Cambridge.
Starting in 2020, when the standard process will be in place, Cambridge will give every UC author a 30% discount on open access fees and the UC Libraries will pay $1,000 toward the remaining open access fee. The UC Libraries will ask authors who have grant funding to pay the remainder of the open access fee, if any. Authors who do not have grant funding available for this purpose can request that the UC Libraries pay the remainder of the fee on their behalf. Asking authors to contribute grant funds if they are able to do so helps expand the pool of funds available to support open access publishing, so that all UC authors have that opportunity.
*The UC Libraries’ funding support applies to research articles, review articles, and proceedings papers with a UC corresponding author in most Cambridge journals (some society journals do not yet offer an open access option).
Learn more or contact scholcomm@ucsd.edu with any questions.
Related posts
- University of California Reaches Open Access Agreement with Elsevier (March 2021)
- Update on UC’s Open Access Negotiations with Elsevier and Other Publishers (January 2020)
- Elsevier Access Suspended (July 2019)
- Elsevier to Restrict Access to Journals in Early July (June 2019)
- Update on the UC’s Journal Negotiations with Elsevier (March 2019)
- UC Terminates Subscriptions with World’s Largest Scientific Publisher in Push for Open Access to Publicly Funded Research (February 2019)