The Public Library of Science (PLOS) welcomes several new participants to its ongoing three-year consortial agreement with Center for Research Libraries (CRL) and the Northeast Research Libraries (NERL) program. Joining twenty fellow member institutions who signed on during the first year, newly participating institutions for the second year include Duke University, Macalester College, University of Arizona, University of Denver, and University of Southern California, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Washington.
This agreement provides researchers with unlimited publishing privileges in PLOS journals without incurring fees. All PLOS journals are underpinned by institutional business models that move beyond article processing charges (APC) to ensure more equitable and regionally appropriate ways to support Open Access publishing. PLOS’ institutional models are Community Action Publishing (CAP)[1], Flat Fees [2], and the Global Equity model[3]
“These additions to our NERL/CRL agreement represent more momentum in our mission to advance Open Science,” said Sara Rouhi, Director of Strategic Partnerships for PLOS. “These institutions share our commitment to building business models that will move researchers and journals toward a more equitable and barrier free form of publishing.”
“This agreement will allow all researchers at Duke to publish their work in any PLOS journal without having to worry about article processing charges,” said Elena Feinstein, Head of Collection Strategy & Development, Duke University Libraries. “It also aligns with Duke University’s commitments to equity and knowledge in the service of society.”
“The CRL/NERL partnership with PLOS continues to support members’ desire for innovative models that make publishing and research more equitable and inclusive. This collaboration supports mutually beneficial progress toward fair and accessible publishing. We are thrilled to see the continued growth of this meaningful partnership,” said Lanette Garza, Director of NERL & CRL Licensing.
Alongside CRL/NERL members, a growing list of institutions including the Big Ten Academic Alliance, the University of California system, Jisc (including University College London, Imperial College London, University of Manchester), the Sachsen and TIB consortia’s in Germany, and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network among others have decided to support their researchers through publishing deals with PLOS.
The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) recently honored PLOS as the 2021 co-winner for Innovation in Publishing for its Community Action Publishing model.
[1] Participating journals include PLOS Biology, PLOS Medicine and PLOS Sustainability and Transformation
[2] Participating journals include PLOS Digital Health, PLOS ONE, PLOS Computational Biology, PLOS Pathogens, PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases and PLOS Genetics
[3] Participating journals include PLOS Climate, PLOS Water, PLOS Global Public Health
