Transformative agreements are designed to promote the transition from traditional subscription-based publishing models to more open access publishing models. They often involve various principles to facilitate this transition.
Here are some key principles associated with transformative agreements:
- Open Access Goals: Transformative agreements prioritize the advancement of open access publishing, aiming to increase the accessibility of research outputs to a wider audience.
- Cost Neutrality: These agreements aim to achieve cost neutrality, meaning that the total fees paid by institutions for both subscriptions and open access publishing are approximately equivalent to what they would have paid for subscriptions alone.
- Read-and-Publish or Publish-and-Read: Transformative agreements are often structured as either Read-and-Publish (R&P) or Publish-and-Read (P&R) models, combining subscription access and open access publishing in a single package.
- Offsetting Mechanism: Transformative agreements frequently involve offsetting mechanisms, where the fees for open access publishing are offset against subscription costs. This helps institutions transition while controlling costs.
- Clear Pricing and Transparency: Agreements typically include transparent and predictable pricing models for both subscriptions and open access publishing fees.
- Metrics and Monitoring: Transformative agreements often include provisions for monitoring and assessing the impact of the agreement on open access adoption, subscription costs, and overall publishing patterns.
- Compliance and Reporting: Publishers and institutions define processes for reporting and ensuring compliance with open access requirements, including the number of articles published as open access.
- Rights Retention and Licensing: Authors' rights are respected, and agreements may stipulate that authors retain copyright or grant licenses that align with open access principles.
- Sustainability and Transition: Transformative agreements should consider the long-term sustainability of the publishing ecosystem and the gradual transition to open access as a primary mode of publication.
- Negotiation and Collaboration: Successful transformative agreements require collaboration between publishers, libraries, institutions, and researchers to find solutions that benefit all stakeholders.
- Inclusivity and Equity: These agreements should promote inclusivity and equity by ensuring that researchers from all regions and disciplines can benefit from open access publishing.
- Flexibility and Adaptability: As the publishing landscape evolves, transformative agreements need to be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances and emerging best practices.
