An open letter from UK researchers to UK library directors regarding the UK’s reliance on read-and-publish deals with journal publishers

On 3rd March 2023, all thirteen “Ivy plus” library directors in the USA published an open letter in support of new ways of publishing journal articles, moving away from article processing charges (APCs)  and read-and-publish models.  These models are increasingly seen as outdated as they reinforce inequities in scholarly publishing.  In particular these models typically move the paywall from the reader to the author which excludes many authors in the global South.  

The UK is already unusual in its over-reliance on read-and-publish agreements to achieve open access.  We have a chance now to align with key partners internationally.  If we agree with the principles outlined by the Ivy Plus library directors then a natural next step is to stop negotiating with Springer Nature, and other legacy publishers.  This would allow us to spend time and money on collaborating internationally on more valuable activities like building and maintaining ethical approaches to scholarly publishing.  These new approaches include developing our own infrastructure, diamond open access journals and other promising models such as Subscribe to Open.  These approaches should ensure that our work is freely available for all to read and that authors do not need to pay to publish their work.

Signed

Prof. Stephen J Eglen, University of Cambridge

Prof. David Colquhoun, University College London

Prof. Michael Coleman, University of Cambridge        

Prof. Albert Cardona, University of Cambridge

Dr Peter Murray-Rust, University of Cambridge

Prof. Etienne Roesch, University of Reading

Prof. Simon Schultz, Imperial College London

Prof. Catherine Abbott, University of Edinburgh

Dr Samuel Westwood, King’s College London

Dr Laura Fortunato, University of Oxford

Dr Daniel Goodman, Imperial College London

Dr Jessica Butler, University of Aberdeen

Dr Aylwyn Scally, University of Cambridge

Prof. Steve Russell, University of Cambridge

Dr Stephen Parnell, Newcastle University

Prof. Andrew Stewart, University of Manchester

Dr Alex Chartier, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (USA)

Professor Tom Crick, Swansea University

Dr Abhishek Dasgupta, University of Oxford

Professor Aileen Fyfe, University of St Andrews

Prof. Dorothy Bishop, University of Oxford

Prof. John Towse, Lancaster University

Dr. David Pérez-Suárez, University College London

Dr. Alessandro Felder, University College London

Dr. Patrick Roddy, University College London

Dr. Rupert Gatti, University of Cambridge

Prof. Leon Lagnado, University of Sussex

Prof. Murray Fraser, University College London

Dr. Rachael Ainsworth, University of Manchester

Dr. Matthew Bluteau, UK Atomic Energy Authority

Dr. Amy Orben, University of Cambridge

Dr. Jim Uttley, University of Sheffield

Dr. George Macgregor, University of Strathclyde

Prof. Tom Baden, University of Sussex

Professor Peter Latham, University College London

Professor Malcolm Macleod, University of Edinburgh

Prof. Timothy Gowers, University of Cambridge

Dr Elizabeth Gadd, Loughborough University

Yvonne Nobis, University of Cambridge

Professor Tom Stafford, University of Sheffield

Dr Lotty Brand, University of Exeter

Carole Goble, The University of Manchester

Prof. Caroline Jay, University of Manchester

Professor Jon Simons, University of Cambridge

Professor Jim Haseloff, University of Cambridge

Dr Chris Wallace, University of Cambridge

Dr Ari Ercole, University of Cambridge

Prof Ben Allanach, University of Cambridge

Dr Olivia Kowalczyk, King’s College London/University College London

Professor Mitul Mehta, King’s College London

Professor Gos Micklem, University of Cambridge

Professor Eric Olson, University of Sheffield

Prof. Julia Wolf, University of Cambridge

Prof Ben Longdon, University of Exeter

Professor Raymond E. Goldstein, University of Cambridge

Dr Matt Jaquiery, University of Oxford

Dr Stacy Gillis, Newcastle University

Dr Martin Dominik, University of St Andrews

Professor Andrew J. Millar, University of Edinburgh

Professor William Greenhalf, University of Liverpool

Dr Joseph Corneli, Oxford Brookes University

Prof. Martin Corley, University of Edinburgh

Professor Eric Fraga, University College London (UCL)

Professor Thomas Pollet, Northumbria University

Dr Dale Esliger, Loughborough University

Prof Zoltan Dienes, University of Sussex

Prof Martin Paul Eve, Birkbeck, University of London

Prof Paul Downward, Loughborough University

Dr Jane Secker, City, University of London

Prof/Dr Simon Batterbury, Visiting Professor, Lancaster University & A/Prof, University of Melbourne

Dr Rishi Mouland, University of Cambridge

Dr Ander Biguri, University of Cambridge

Professor Oscar Randal-Williams, University of Cambridge

Irena Borzym , St. Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge

Dr Ronak M Soni, University of Cambridge

Prof Clément Mouhot, University of Cambridge

Neil Shephard, University of Sheffield

Professor Christopher A Tout, University of Cambridge

Dr Qingyuan Zhao, University of Cambridge

Dr Lloyd Fung, University of Cambridge

Dr Amelia Drew, University of Cambridge

Prof. Stuart Martin, University of Cambridge

Dr. Ailsa Keating, University of Cambridge

Dr Grigalius Taujanskas, University of Cambridge

Miren Radia, University of Cambridge

Prof. Henrik Latter, University of Cambridge

Dr Julian Gilbey, University of Cambridge

Dr. Aron Wall, University of Cambridge

Dr Rosalba Garcia-Millan, University of Cambridge

Dr. Michalis Agathos, University of Cambridge

Dr David H Lunt, University of Hull

Feel free to add your name above this line.  Please also consider emailing your library director to tell them you have signed this letter.

Drafted: March 6th 2023

Released: March 10th 2023

For any enquiries please contact Stephen Eglen