Scientific publisher Nature Publishing Group (NPG) has announced an affordable way to read scientific articles on NPG journals. NPG and software company Labtiva opened to the public a pilot of the ReadCube Access programme for inexpensive single-click purchases and two-day rentals.
The programme will help researchers, doctors, journalists, and the wider public, who do not already hold subscriptions, gain access to articles in high-impact scientific journals, including Nature and the Nature research journals.
Articles read by clicking the ReadCube Access icon on nature.com pages cost between $5 and $11, compared to the $32 pay-per-view fee. A 48-hour rental costs between $3 and $5.
Purchased articles open in the ReadCube app, which works on PCs, Macs, and within any desktop web browser. The app makes PDFs interactive with annotation tools, clickable citations, compatibility with common reference managers, simultaneous download of supplemental data, and links to subsequent citations and online discussions of the article. An article accessed through ReadCube Access may not be printed or shared, but can be read offline.
At this time, the ReadCube Access button is present on articles in Nature and 18 Nature research journals. Articles in all NPG journals are available at the same discount using the ReadCube desktop app.
Research institutions, like individuals, can use ReadCube Access to supplement subscription holdings. In a trial program underway at the University of Utah, researchers can access articles from more than 50 NPG journals that were previously not fully accessible. Payments are deducted from a central fund, managed by the library.
