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Germany Seeks ‘Big Flip’ in Publishing Model
Article

Germany Seeks ‘Big Flip’ in Publishing Model

Consortium hopes to make all German-authored papers open access by paying annual fee

Science, 2017


Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Controversial
  • Scientific
  • Eye Opening

Recommendation

Commercial publishers charge libraries big-ticket subscription prices for access. Germany’s “Projekt DEAL” is pushing for open access based on paying publishers an annual lump sum. While Wiley and SpringerNature are close to an agreement, academic publishing giant Elsevier remains fixed in the “pay-per-use” model. Seasoned journalists Gretchen Vogel and Kai Kupferschmidt provide a clear view into Germany’s current negotiations with Elsevier to increase science accessibility. getAbstract recommends this article to those interested in open access.

Take-Aways

  • Libraries now pay €7.6 billion in subscription fees for scientific journals, globally. Access to a single research paper can cost libraries €3800–€5000 ($4500-6000).
  • A consortium of German libraries, universities and research institutions is pushing to pay a yearly fee for access to scientific journals.
  • Negotiations are going well with journal publishers Wiley and SpringerNature, but the consortium is locked in a disagreement with Elsevier.

About the Authors

Gretchen Vogel is a journalist with over 20 years of experience. Kai Kupferschmidt studied Molecular Biomedicine and has written for Science  magazine since 2011.