Optica Publishing Group has announced that the Journal of the Optical Society of America B (JOSA B) will pilot the Subscribe to Open (S2O) model in 2026. The pilot uses the existing subscription framework to enable open access: current institutional subscribers renew as usual, and if renewals meet the S2O threshold, all content in the 2026 volume becomes freely available worldwide without shifting publishing costs to authors.
If the subscription target is not met, the journal remains subscription-only for 2026 and subscribers retain full access to that year’s content.
With a longstanding commitment to open science and wider access in optics and photonics, the initiative aims to use the Subscribe to Open pilot to broaden dissemination of JOSA B’s trusted, high-quality research. The model is positioned as a community-driven path to open access that delivers clear benefits across the ecosystem—supporting authors, empowering libraries, and improving availability for readers.
For libraries, the pilot provides a cost-neutral way to support open access while maintaining existing payment processes; when the threshold is reached, the year’s content is opened to all readers. For authors, meeting the threshold means articles are published open access without article processing charges, supporting equitable open access participation by authors regardless of funding availability.
For readers, the model broadens global access and visibility of JOSA B’s research, helping to advance the dissemination and impact of work in optics and photonics. By piloting S2O for JOSA B, Optica Publishing Group seeks to explore sustainable approaches to open access that balance the needs of authors, libraries, and the wider scientific community.
Click here to read the original press release.
