A new publishing deal between the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) and the Public Library of Science (PLOS) is making it easier than ever for faculty at Mount Royal University to publish their work in open access journals, free of charge. The 18-month agreement was reached in coordination with CRKN, who negotiated on behalf of the Mount Royal University Library alongside 81 member institutions.
Mount Royal University faculty members looking to pursue open access publication can now take advantage of unlimited publishing opportunities in 12 PLOS journals. Working closely with the CRKN, the MRU Library also secured open access agreements with other critical publications, including Canadian Science Publishing, Cambridge University Press, SAGE and Wiley.
Francine May, Associate Dean of Collections and Research at the MRU Library, was a strong proponent of the new deal and is excited to see how it will be used to support faculty research.
“We are thrilled with this new agreement, which provides more options for researchers,” says May. “Faculty will no longer need to choose between making their research available openly — which means higher dissemination and immediate access for those who want to read it — and allocation of research funds, which can sometimes be limited.”
Francine May, Associate Dean of Collections and Research, was a strong proponent of the new deal, leading discussion with faculty librarians about the benefits of signing on with CRKN.
PLOS, a non-profit, open access publisher, seeks to empower researchers in science and medicine by transforming open resources in research communication. The new partnership will reduce costs for faculty like Neil Brigden, Assistant Professor of Marketing in the Bissett School of Business, who has been published in PLOS journals.
“Open access journals allow anyone to read the research for free, as soon as it's published,” says Bridgen. “This greatly increases the audience size and is more inclusive, as cost is a major barrier for many potential readers. The downside of open access journals is that the authors typically need to pay thousands of dollars in fees to have an accepted article published. Many researchers simply don't have the research budget to cover those fees and publish in traditional journals, which just passes the cost onto readers. This deal gives us the best of both worlds: the opportunity to publish for free in reputable journals that are free to read as well.”
Jonathan M. Withey, Dean of the Faculty of Science & Technology, also supports the new deal.
“This zero-fee publication agreement with PLOS is an excellent step in helping to make faculty and student scholarship more widely available,” says Withey. “It will provide a more equitable and barrier-free form of publishing.”
The move plays a critical role in the Library’s ongoing work to educate and advocate for open, equitable and ethical information practices in an increasingly expensive publishing environment, a cost burden that is shared by both researchers and academic libraries. By partnering with innovative publishers like PLOS who are experimenting with business models that offer both publisher economic sustainability and the elimination of author fees, MRU can continue to advocate for enhanced equity in academic publishing.
In addition to the waived publication fees through PLOS, MRU faculty can also take advantage of a CRKN negotiated discount on article processing charges (APCs). APCs are charges that are paid by authors to publish their work, and are most commonly applied to open access or hybrid journals. These costs are prohibitive for researchers and funding institutions, who are becoming increasingly concerned with the redirection of funds from other research needs.
High publisher margins present additional barriers to the publication of research that is publicly funded, or written and reviewed by a publicly funded researcher. In a publishing market with staggeringly high profits, APCs present significant financial barriers to researchers, and impact the accessibility of knowledge.
“By seeking more agreements that reduce barriers for MRU faculty looking to choose ‘open’ when they publish, we hope to increase the number of openly available articles from MRU and enhance the research profile for the university,” says May.
For a complete list of participating publishers and more information about how faculty members can utilize waived publication fees through Mount Royal University, view our detailed FAQ, or contact librarycollections@mtroyal.ca.
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