Transformative Agreements | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Transformative Agreements | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
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Transformative Agreements
A Transformative Model for High-Quality Open Access Publishing in the Biological Sciences
“A sustainable path to open publication of biomedical research is a long-sought objective among the many science communication initiatives at Cold Spring Harbor. Our transformational offerings provide a model for any research-intensive institution whose scientists wish to make their articles openly available in these long-established, prestigious, not-for-profit journals.”
— Dr. John Inglis,
Publisher of CSHL Press, co-founder of bioRxiv and medRxiv
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press is exploring new types of online licensing arrangements with research institutions and libraries that incorporate an Open Access (OA) publishing program for authors. These “transformative” agreements offer full access to the complete collection of CSHL Press subscription journals and an OA publishing option for corresponding authors of accepted papers.  This eliminates or greatly reduces any article publication charges (APCs) or OA publishing fees, which will be covered by the institutional license agreement. The goal, over time, is to maintain the highest standards of publishing in the biological sciences while reducing the reliance on traditional subscription payments and expanding the output of Open Access research.
To see the list of institutions with current CSHL Press Open Access Agreements, click
here
. Download a copy of the Open Access Agreements flyer
here
If you are interested in discussing such an arrangement for your institution or group, please email Doug LaFrenier at
[email protected]
or Katherine Kelly at
[email protected]
Open Access Agreements: Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ for Librarians
FAQ for Authors
What are transformative agreements, and how do libraries and authors benefit?
Open Access License Agreements offer a path toward greater Open Access publishing by encouraging authors of accepted papers to opt for OA publication: first, by building this option into the workflow of accepted manuscripts; second, by removing or reducing any author-facing publication charges; and third, by enabling authors to retain copyright over their own works. Libraries see tremendous benefits as well. They typically gain access to the complete collection of CSHL Press journals, often expanding their current subscription portfolio, while holding costs steady over a multiyear term; and they support the transition to Open Access scholarship by helping to expand their authors’ output of OA content.
Our four research journals,
Genome Research
Genes & Development
RNA
Learning & Memory
, are
Transformative Journals
moving to a fully open access model. We report and update their progress on our
PLAN S data transparency page
. In addition, we are also committed to these titles becoming fully open access in accordance with
Plan S guidelines
What types of articles are eligible for Open Access publication under a Transformative License Agreement?
Fully peer-reviewed research, review, and case-study articles, accepted for publication, are eligible for Open Access publishing in our hybrid research journals,
Genes & Development
Genome Research
Learning & Memory
, and
RNA
. Editorials, comments, protocols, methods, and similar materials are not eligible. Articles in
CSH Protocols, CSH Perspectives in Biology
, and
CSH Perspectives in Medicine
are commissioned by the editors and do not accept submissions.
Which CSHL Press journals are available under an Open Access License Agreement?
CSHL Press offers open access agreements that include access to two review and one methods journal:
CSH Perspectives in Biology
(launched 2009) ranks in first quartile of journals in Cell Biology*
CSH Perspectives in Medicine
(launched 2013) ranks in 2nd quartile of journals in Medicine, Research & Experimental Medicine*
CSH Protocols
(launched 2006) covering all biology disciplines (does not receive Impact Factor), includes proven, peer-reviewed recipes, techniques, and protocols from legendary CSHL courses and working scientists
Corresponding Authors from licensed institutions may submit to the following journals, with the option to publish an unlimited number of Open Access research articles:
Genes & Development
(launched 1987) ranks #2 among research (non-review) journals in the field of Developmental Biology and is one of the “Top 20” Cell Biology journals*
Genome Research
(launched 1991) ranks #7 among research journals in the field of Genetics and Biotechnology and is one of the “Top 30” Molecular Biology journals*
RNA
(launched 1995) ranks in second quartile of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology category*
Learning & Memory
(launched 1994) ranks in second quartile of Neurosciences category*
*Journal Citation Reports Impact Factor Data © Clarivate
Is the 2024 CSHL Open Access publication progress and financial transparency data as required by Plan S available to review?
Yes, price transparency and growth of Open Access content are key elements of CSHL’s approach and goals for our transformative agreements. Plan S requires financial transparency for APC expenses / costs. In addition Plan S mandates certain milestones for hybrid research journals in their progress toward full open access. This data is also the basis for adjustments to hybrid journal subscription prices to protect against “double dipping” as the rate of open access content increases.
Please see this link for the latest transparency data
Is my library or institution eligible to participate?
Institutions that subscribe to at least four CSHL Press titles (or the equivalent) are eligible for a Transformative License Agreement proposal.
How can my authors tell if they are eligible for Open Access publication?
Upon acceptance of a corresponding author’s paper, the author will be informed of his or her Open Access publishing options. They can indicate their choice to publish OA when they submit their License to Publish form.
Do we require institutions to approve publication/charges if an author’s manuscript is accepted for publication by a CSHL Press research journal?
No, approval is not required. In most cases all fees are covered under the terms of the agreement
What if an author’s paper is rejected? Is there an editorial process to publish papers of value that can save authors resubmission to other journals or publishers?
The high-quality standards of CSHL Press’s research journals can limit acceptance of many papers. However, CSHL Press, in partnership with EMBO Press and Rockefeller University Press, has established a new journal,
Life Science Alliance
(LSA). Although editorially independent, editors at LSA work closely with editors of CSHL Press journals to offer seamless transfer of papers, including pre—peer review consultations that provide authors with a high degree of certitude for rapid review and publication in LSA.
What is the OA Switchboard (OAS)?
OAS is a nonprofit data-exchange service to facilitate communications between key stakeholders in OA publishing, including publishers, academic institutions, and research funding organizations. Many of our transformative partner institutions are using OAS already and we encourage broad participation in order to simplify messaging and reporting among the parties. More information can be found here:
Are there any special features of a Transformative License Agreement with CSHL Press?
Licensees have the option to create a branded channel in the preprint server bioRxiv, which will include all preprints submitted to bioRxiv and medRxiv by your authors
My institution is interested; how do we get started?
CSHL Press works with both library consortia and with individual institutions to customize transformative agreements that meet the specific needs of customers. If you are interested in discussing such an arrangement for your institution or group, please email Katherine Kelly at
[email protected]
or Doug LaFrenier at
[email protected]
What is Open Access publishing? How is it different from traditional journal publishing?
In the traditional model, libraries pay subscription fees for access to journal content for all users in their institutions. Under the Open Access model, publication costs are usually borne by the author or grant funder and the published research is immediately free for anyone in the world to read.
What are my options for Open Access publishing with CSHL Press?
Transformative License Agreements simplify the payment process for authors who wish to publish Open Access papers, but the option to publish OA does not depend on one. Open Access is currently available to any author of an accepted paper in
Genes & Development
Genome Research
Learning & Memory
, and
RNA
upon payment of an Article Publication Charge (APC) and an OA publishing fee.
Can I still receive funder financial support for publication fees associated with research they sponsor? Will organizations such as HHMI, NIH, UKRI, Wellcome, and others cover my publication costs in transformative journals from CSHL Press?
Yes. CSHLP research journals,
Genome Research
Genes & Development
RNA
, and
Learning & Memory
, are
Transformative Journals
in accordance with
Plan S guidelines
. A listing of international government and charitable organizations endorsing Plan S and working jointly on its implementation can be found
here
In addition, the cOAlitionS “journal checker tool” is a search engine that verifies Plan S funder and journal compliance. It allows an author to enter the name of a funder, an institution, and the journal to which they plan to submit an article, and checks if this combination of funder, institution, and journal offers compliance with Plan S. Click here to access the
Journal Checker Tool: Plan S Compliance Validator.
How are my OA options different under a Transformative License Agreement?
If your institution has a Transformative License Agreement with CSHL Press, you may opt for Open Access publishing of any accepted paper with all APC or OA publishing fees either waived or deeply discounted. There is little to no administrative burden on authors.
How do I benefit as a researcher from a Transformative License Agreement? As an author?
Under a Transformative license agreement, researchers typically gain access to the full collection of a publisher’s journals, beyond what their institutions had been subscribing to. And they gain the important benefit of publishing their accepted papers as Open Access, so they are immediately free to read around the world. In addition, OA papers are published under a Creative Commons noncommercial license, which allows redistribution and reuse of the paper as long as the author is appropriately credited. Further, transformative agreements usually remove any author-facing payment requirements, as these are now covered in their institution’s license agreement.
How do I know if my institution has a Transformative License Agreement with CSHL Press?
Please click this
Institutions
link to see if your institution participates in a Transformative License Agreement with CSHL Press.
What types of articles are eligible for Open Access publication under a Transformative License Agreement?
Fully peer-reviewed research, review, and case-study articles, accepted for publication, are eligible for Open Access publishing in our hybrid research journals,
Genes & Development
Genome Research
Learning & Memory
, and
RNA
. Editorials, comments, protocols, methods, and similar materials are not eligible. Articles in
CSH Protocols, CSH Perspectives in Biology
, and
CSH Perspectives in Medicine
are commissioned by the editors and do not accept submissions.
Which CSHL Press journals are available for OA publishing under a Transformative License Agreement?
Corresponding authors from licensed institutions may submit to the following journals, with the option to publish an unlimited number of Open Access research articles:
Ge
nes & Development
(launched 1987) ranks #2 among research (non-review) journals in the field of Developmental Biology and is one of the “Top 20” Cell Biology journals*
Genome Research
(launched 1991) ranks #7 among research journals in the field of Genetics and Biotechnology and is one of the “Top 30” Molecular Biology journals*
RNA
(launched 1995) ranks in the second quartile of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology category*
Learning & Memory
(launched 1994) ranks in the second quartile of Neurosciences category*
*Journal Citation Reports Impact Factor Data © Clarivate
How do I submit an article for publication under a Transformative License Agreement with my institution?
There is no change in submission procedures. See the “Information for Authors” link at each journal homepage (click on any title in Question #8, above.) If your article is accepted for publication, you will then be informed of your Open Access publishing options.
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