Royal Society of Chemistry changes direction on open access rollout following community feedback
In place of open access across the board, the society will adopt regional publishing models
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) had hoped to make all its journals open access (OA) by 2028 but has now decided against a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, it will tailor models by region based on local needs, funding and infrastructure.
In the traditional publishing model, publishers charge subscription fees. However, OA journals usually charge a one-off article processing charge (APC) and no subscription fee. The RSC had hoped to negotiate agreements where institutions would pay a flat rate for their researchers to publish in its 58 journals without paying individual APCs. These agreements could vary by region to allow richer countries to pay more.