Transformative Journals: analysis from the 2023 reports

The Transformative Journal (TJ) model was one of the strategies cOAlition S developed to help subscription publishers transition to full and immediate Open Access (OA) in a defined timeframe. This report looks at the data provided by the participating publishers for the calendar year 2023.  

2023 data: executive summary 

Journals that participate in the TJ programme agree to share data showing the OA penetration rate and whether they have met their agreed growth targets.   

Specifically, TJ titles are required to demonstrate an annual increase in the proportion of OA research content of at least 5% points in absolute terms and at least 15% in relative terms, year-on-year.  Journals in the programme also agree to flip to full OA when 75% of the research content is published in this way.  

Analysis of the 2023 data shows that of the 996 titles in the TJ programme: 

  • 39 titles (4%) had flipped to full OA and thus had successfully transformed, in line with the programme objectives 
  • 403 titles (40%) met or exceeded their OA growth targets  
  • 552 titles (56%) failed to meet their OA growth targets and, had the TJ programme continued, would have been removed from the TJ programme 
  • 2 titles (<1%) only started publishing in 2023 and thus did not have a 2023 TJ target. 

A further 57 journals, all published by Cambridge University Press, are in the process of flipping in 2025.  Springer Nature also indicated that 14 journals are likely to flip in 2025, though the titles affected are not yet in the public domain. 

Read the full report – https://www.coalition-s.org/blog/transformative-journals-analysis-from-the-2023-reports/