Open to open
Everyone has a view on open access. So we’re here to listen, share our insights and help you get on the path to open access and the trusted content that works for you.
Opening doors to a new era of publishing
Over the years, we have steadily transformed to provide researchers with more options to publish open access, while still offering the option to read and publish under the subscription model.
Today, we’re partnering with institutions around the world on read and publish agreements, so we can advance open access together.
Talk to us to find out more.
How the world is seeing open
Strong support from librarians and researchers 76% of researchers and 93% of research library directors express strong support for open access. - Elsevier 2022, ARL2022 | Interest in new agreements 74% of librarians are in support of transformative / read and publish agreements. - IFLA 2020 | Librarian role growing in importance 92% felt that their role in scholarly communication has expanded beyond traditional responsibilities. - Open Access Week 2022 |
Collaboration 84% of librarians agreed that greater collaboration between libraries, publishers, and funding agencies is essential for promoting sustainable OA practices. - Elsevier 2022 | Advocacy and training 82% believed that librarians should take a proactive role in educating researchers and students about OA and its benefits. - IFLA 2020 | Amplifying the reach of research 66% of researchers have done outreach activities to bring their work to broader audiences (up from 57% in 2022) – Elsevier, 2025 |
Paying APCs 68% of researchers regard having to find funding for APCs as the key barrier to OA. - Elsevier 2022 | Organizational support 78% of researchers would submit their research open access if the APC was paid by their institution or funder. - Wiley 2024 | Researcher and student success remains key priority 93% of global academic leaders put a high priority on ensuring research excellence, but only 56% feel well prepared to meet this challenge. - Elsevier/Ipsos 2024 |
Our progress to open
We have been steadily transforming our business to support institutions seeking to publish open access while still accessing their subscription content. Here’s a summary of our progress so far:
Nearly all of Elsevier's 3,000 journals enable open access publishing, including over 890 fully open access journals
34% of the articles we publish are OA vs 2% a decade ago
We have enabled over 500,000 researchers to publish OA across the globe
We have waiving or discounted OA publishing costs for 80% of authors from the Global South
We have open access agreements in place with over 3,000 institutions worldwide
Our content has above average citation levels with below average price increases
What do you need for your open journey?
When discussing the journey to open access with librarians, we always ask, “What’s important to you and your institution?”.
From what we’ve heard, these are your top five goals:
Enable our researchers to read subscription content
Enable our researchers to meet their funders’ requirements
Help our researchers publish openly with very little hassle
Help our researchers submit their research to quality, respected titles
Get fair treatment from our publishing partners
The read and publish agreement – a smart way forward
Read and publish agreements can help institutions achieve their open access goals. These agreements help accommodate different institutional needs and provide a bridge between the different systems.
Key benefits of read and publish agreements
Ability to continue to provide high-quality content while also being able to support open access with their subscription dollars
A tailored workflow to support the open access message of the organization/institution
Helping authors meet the requirements of their funded research
Flexible pricing and ability to cater to specific needs
A transformative agreement that allows authors to publish in the highest quality journals at no additional cost
What the librarian community is saying about read and publish
A transition to any new system can be complex and create its own pain points. We asked three institutions that pursued a new read and publish agreement with Elsevier to document their candid views on the process.
“There was this sense that Elsevier was willing to look at things differently, which was not something we had seen from other publishers. The fact that it was Elsevier we were getting that kind of response from was a bit of a surprise!”
- Dr Andy Corrigan, Associate Dean of Libraries, Tulane University
“We realized full open access would take us forever if we continued down the green route. Despite the investment in repositories, roughly half of Australian researcher-produced publications in the last 10 years were still behind paywalls.”
- Bob Gerrity, University Librarian at Monash University, Australia
“They were helpful to show authors, ‘you are entering this workflow, here is what it will look like’.”
- Keith Webster, Dean of University Libraries at CMU
Let’s talk
So there you have it—an open perspective on open access. There is no one route to open. It's our aim to meet our customers where they are and partner with them to meet their specific needs.
By collaborating with Elsevier, your institution will meet funder requirements on open access, amplify the global impact of its research, and inspire greater scientific collaboration for a more enlightened and equitable world.
Ready to connect? Our door is always open. We’d love to talk with you in person, listen to your perspectives and see how we can best support you.