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Announcing a New Four-Year Open Access Deal with Elsevier

By Bernard Becker Medical Library & Washington University Libraries

Washington University Libraries and Bernard Becker Medical Library announce a new and transformative open access agreement with Elsevier, spanning from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2027, that provides access to additional journal content, makes it free to read and share, and offers WashU authors open access publishing at no cost. The agreement broadens publishing opportunities for WashU authors across all disciplines, supports authors who wish to publish open access articles, and fosters open science and scholarship by expanding access to WashU research findings without barriers in fulfillment of the WashU Open Access Resolution.

Elsevier logo

Specifically, this four-year read-and-publish agreement grants access to more content from the Elsevier ScienceDirect journal collection, encompassing eight new Cell Press journals. Under the agreement, WashU corresponding authors are eligible for waivers and discounts on APCs for open access articles in journals from three journal bundle collections.

The journal bundles under the agreement are:

  • Hybrid Journals, including Cell Press 
  • Gold (Open Access) Journals  
  • Gold (Open Access) Cell Press and Lancet Journals 

Hybrid journals publish articles under the traditional publication model but allow authors to publish them under an Open Access license with the payment of an APC. WashU corresponding authors are entitled to a full waiver of APCs for the Hybrid Journals, including Cell Press, each subject to a limit of waivers per calendar year, with a gradual increase each year of the agreement. The waiver limits are based on WashU publishing history in the journals and are subject to a first-come, first-served basis. A unique component to WashU’s agreement is a clause allowing WashU corresponding authors to a full APC waiver for any core Hybrid Journal that “flips” to Gold (Open Access) during the agreement term. 

Gold (Open Access) journals publish all articles under an Open Access license with authors paying an APC. WashU corresponding authors who publish articles from the Gold (Open Access) Journal bundle will be entitled to a twenty-five percent APC discount for the first two years of the agreement, twenty percent in 2026, and fifteen percent in 2027. In addition, WashU corresponding authors who publish in the Gold (Open Access) Cell Press and Lancet Journal bundle will be entitled to a ten percent APC discount for the term of the agreement. WashU authors can select from one of two Creative Commons licenses: CC BY or CC BY-NC-ND.

Additional Resources

A full list of eligible Elsevier journals under the agreement is available in the Journal Finder tool for WashU. Use the guides below for more detailed information specific for WashU authors who want to publish in Elsevier journals:

Becker Medical Library: Article Processing Charges (APCs): Waivers and Discounts for WashU Authors

University Libraries: APC Waivers and Discounts for Elsevier Journals

For more information, please contact:

Washington University Libraries: Micah Zeller 

Becker Medical Library: Cathy Sarli