Two-thirds of ‘transformative’ journals booted out of Plan S

Two-thirds of publications within Plan S’ transformative journal programme have failed to meet their open access targets and will be removed from the initiative.

According to figures released by cOAlition S, an alliance of national funders committed to increasing open access scientific publishing, 68 per cent of the 2,326 titles in its transformative journals programme (1,589 in total) did not meet agreed targets for transitioning towards free-to-read publishing by the end of 2022.

Under Plan S, which launched in January 2021, transformative journals had to show an annual increase in the proportion of open access research content of at least 5 per cent and at least 15 per cent in relative terms, year-on-year. Journals in the programme also agree to flip to full open access when 75 per cent of the research content is published in this way.

Only 1 per cent of titles flipped to full open access by January 2023, while 695 titles (30 per cent) met or exceeded their open access growth rates, explained cOAlition S in a statement on 20 June.

The removal of so many titles from Plan S, which requires journal papers to be made free at the point of publication if their authors are supported by any of the 17 funding agencies and six foundations signed up to the programme, is likely to raise concerns about the initiative’s future. Researchers backed by funders aligned to Plan S cannot use public funds to publish in outlets that do not align with the international accord’s rules.

Some 77 per cent (1,329) of titles published by Springer Nature – by far the largest publisher in the programme, with some 1,721 transformative titles – failed to meet their Plan S targets, while the proportions for Elsevier and the American Chemical Society were 63 per cent (115 titles) and 56 per cent (36 titles), respectively.

In addition, at least six titles published by Springer Nature were unilaterally withdrawn from the transformative journal programme even though they met this 75 per cent open access penetration rate threshold, a move described as “discouraging” by cOAlition S’ head of strategy, Robert Kiley.

“It is clearly disappointing that over two-thirds (68 per cent) of the journals in the transformative journal programme failed to meet their open access growth targets,” said Mr Kiley, who confirmed that “titles which do not meet their targets will be removed” from the programme, meaning “1,589 titles will lose their transformative journal status at the end of 2023”.

“The fact that so many titles were unable to meet their open access growth targets suggests that for some publishers, the transition to full and immediate open access is unlikely to happen in a reasonable time frame,” continued Mr Kiley, adding: “As cOAlition S was seeking to encourage a time-limited transition, the decision to terminate this programme at the end of 2024 appears well founded.”

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com