IOP Publishing and the South African National Library and Information Consortium (SANLiC) have finalized a transformative agreement aimed at removing barriers to open access (OA) publishing for researchers in the global south. This landmark three-year agreement, marking IOP Publishing's first in South Africa, empowers researchers from participating member institutions to freely publish their research without any costs at the point of submission. Additionally, the agreement grants reading access to IOP Publishing's entire journal portfolio and most of its partner journals.
The partnership between IOP Publishing and SANLiC reflects a shared dedication to promoting open research and addressing inequalities in publishing. By simplifying OA publishing and eliminating financial barriers, the collaboration aims to facilitate the widespread sharing of African scholarly output with the global scientific community. The agreement signifies a significant step towards fostering a sector-wide shift towards OA publishing in Europe, the US, Asia, and Africa, where similar agreements are driving the transition.
Transformative agreements play a crucial role in encouraging the adoption of OA publishing by making it the default choice for article submissions. The broader access to research afforded by OA is instrumental in accelerating scientific discovery. Data from IOP Publishing highlights that OA content is downloaded 80% more than paywalled content and receives 30% more citations, underscoring the substantial benefits of publishing research openly.
This agreement further strengthens IOP Publishing's growing portfolio of 'read and publish' agreements, which now encompasses over 900 institutions across 33 countries. By expanding its collaborative efforts globally, IOP Publishing is committed to advancing open access principles and facilitating the dissemination of scientific knowledge to a diverse range of researchers and institutions.
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