Articles in hybrid open access DEAL journals from Elsevier, Springer Nature and Wiley
The existing DEAL agreements with the publishers Springer Nature and Wiley expired on December 31, 2023. On November 17, 2023, a five-year contract (2024-2028) was signed between the MPDL Services gGmbH (on behalf of the DEAL Consortium) and
Wiley. On November 24, 2023, a contract was signed with
Springer Nature (for contract years 2024-2028). After several years without an agreement, a contract was signed with
Elsevier for the first time on September 1, 2023. This agreement also covers the years 2024-2028.
At its meeting on December 19, 2023, the University Governing Board decided that the University of Bayreuth (UBT) will participate in all three DEAL agreements. As a result, the UB has initiated the start of the participation process with MPDL Services gGmbH before the 2023/2024 Christmas break. This means that UBT members will continue to have comprehensive online access to the journal portfolios of Wiley and Springer Nature.
Online access to the Elsevier journal portfolio was activated for university members on January 10, 2024 (via
ScienceDirect; at a later date, the journals will also be accessible via the UB catalog/the EZB).
In addition to reading access, all three DEAL contracts also include a publishing component. In contrast to the previous DEAL contracts with Springer Nature and Wiley, the participation fees to be paid by UBT are based on publication-based billing in accordance with the so-called paper charge model: institutions participating in the DEAL contracts from contract year 2024 onwards pay the publish-and-read fee (PAR fee) or article processing charge (APC) specified in the contract for each publication by their researchers (publication as (submitting) corresponding author) covered by the contract. The APC in Gold Open Access journals of DEAL publishers is (with a few exceptions) subject to a discount of 20 percent compared to the respective list price. The costs per publication (PAR fee) for publication in hybrid journals of DEAL publishers are between approx. 3,200 and 7,000 euros (Cell Press and Lancet titles). It is irrelevant whether the authors decide to publish their article in open access or closed access (opt-out) in the publication process for hybrid journals; the PAR fee is incurred in either case.
In consultation with the University Governing Board, the UB is currently developing a financing concept on how the expected costs for the UBT can be covered. In this context, a 10 percent contribution from researchers towards the respective publication costs is also being discussed (possibly with a graduated model to relieve the burden on junior researchers). The UB will inform researchers as soon as more details are known.
Articles in gold open access journals (incl. Elsevier, Springer Nature and Wiley)
In 2024, articles in gold open access journals can be funded with 700 euros gross/article until further notice. The APC in Gold Open Access journals of DEAL publishers is (with a few exceptions) subject to a discount of 20 percent compared to the respective list price.