The Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) has entered into a three-year read-and-publish agreement with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), enabling broader open access publication of Canadian chemistry research. The agreement, effective from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2027, allows authors affiliated with participating CRKN member institutions to publish open-access articles in RSC’s hybrid and gold journals at no cost.
Under this agreement, researchers at participating institutions will continue to have unlimited reading access to RSC journals, while over 500 articles per year are expected to be made openly available, increasing the global accessibility of Canadian chemistry research.
The CRKN Content Strategy Committee (CSC) led the negotiation process, securing terms that align with institutional priorities and cost-effectiveness. This agreement follows the read-and-publish model, in which subscription funds are reallocated to support both journal access and open-access publishing, allowing institutions to maximize the impact of their research output. The CSC applied CRKN’s Licensing Principles and incorporated member feedback to shape the agreement’s terms.
CRKN has emphasized that this initiative reflects a broader commitment to fostering open knowledge dissemination and ensuring that research remains widely accessible. By implementing this read-and-publish framework, CRKN and its members are contributing to the evolution of scholarly communication, reinforcing pathways to trusted and openly available scientific knowledge.
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