Open Access agreements & discounts

The Library has a number of fixed-term Transformative Agreements with publishers that allow Sussex and BSMS corresponding authors to publish their work Gold Open Access at no additional cost or at a discounted rate.

Please note that these agreements are provisional and may not be extended indefinitely. The current criteria for each agreement are detailed below. Please also note that the Library does not wish to influence authors’ decisions on where to publish, nor is the list below an endorsement of any particular publisher.

General guidance

Affiliation with the University of Sussex is generally secured via the corresponding author and the inclusion of a University of Sussex email address during the submission process. Please guarantee that all institutional affiliation information is entered correctly.

Agreements generally only cover article processing charges (APCs) and do not cover page and/or colour charges if applied.

Once an eligible submission is due for publication the Library is alerted. It is at this stage that you will be contacted by the Open Access team to confirm certain pieces of information before approval for Open Access publishing is granted.

Submissions covered by an agreement will most likely be published under a CC BY licence unless otherwise stated. UKRI, Wellcome Trust and other funders stipulate that funded papers should carry a CC BY (as opposed to CC BY-NC or CC BY-NC-ND) licence to achieve maximum dissemination. For this reason, the University of Sussex also encourages authors to select a CC BY licence. For more information on licences, please visit Creative Commons.

We request that you always check the publisher information below and the submission guidelines for your chosen publisher and journal prior to submission.

If further guidance is required, please contact the Open Access team at openaccess@sussex.ac.uk. If you have queries regarding your plan to publish, contact the Open Access team as early as possible. The sooner you do, the better we can help.

Transformative Agreements

Transformative Agreements (sometimes known as Transitional Agreements) offer eligible corresponding authors the opportunity to publish Open Access at no cost and provide a potential route to compliance for certain UK funders’ Open Access policies, including Wellcome and UKRI. Please refer to the conditions for each agreement below.

  • Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    ACM OPEN Read & Publish Agreement 2023 – 2026

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish research articles Open Access in all ACM journals at no cost
    • details of author actions required can be found in the ACM Open Author Rights Workflow [PDF 1.06MB].

    For further information please see ACM OPEN. 

  • American Chemical Society

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    ACS Read & Publish Program 2025-2026

    For more information and author guidelines, visit ACS.

  • American Institute of Physics (AIP)

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    AIP Fusion Pilot 2026-2028

      • University of Sussex corresponding authors can publish Open Access in most AIP’s hybrid and fully Open Access journals at no cost to the author
      • eligible article types: Research article; Brief Communication; Communication; Conference Article; Fast Track or Article-FT; Letter; Note; Perspective; Research Update; Review; and Road Map.

    Visit AIP for more information and a guide for authors. 

  • American Physical Society (APS)

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    APS Read and Publish 2026 – 2028

    • University of Sussex corresponding authors can publish Open Access in all nine hybrid peer-reviewed Physical Review journals published by APS
    • eligible article types: original research and reviews (including, but not limited to, articles, letters, reviews, perspectives and tutorials).

    For further information visit APS.

  • Bristol University Press (BUP) (incl. Policy Press)

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    BUP Journals Collection Read and Publish Agreement 2025 – 2026

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish Open Access in BUP hybrid journals at no cost to the author
    • in addition, corresponding authors are eligible for a 20% discount on the APC in the OA-only Global Social Challenges Journal
    • corresponding authors are also eligible for a 15% discount on BPCs and CPCs when publishing books and chapters with BUP
    • eligible article types: original peer-reviewed research and review articles.

    Author actions:

    Following acceptance, please email bup-journals@bristol.ac.uk with details of both the submission and your affiliation to Sussex.

    For further information, please see the BUP FAQs.

  • Cambridge University Press (CUP)

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    CUP Open Research agreement 2026-2029

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish Open Access in Gold and hybrid journals at no cost to the author
    • publish research articles, review articles, rapid communications, brief reports and case reports.

     For further information and author actions, visit CUP.

  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    Read and Publish agreement 2025-2026

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish Open Access at no cost in the following four research titles: Genes & Development; Genome Research; RNA; and Learning & Memory
    • eligible article types: research articles; review articles; and case study articles.

    For further information, please visit CSHLP.

  • Company of Biologists

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    Read and Publish agreement 2025-2026

    Corresponding authors affiliated to the University of Sussex can publish Open Access with a CC-BY licence in 5 research titles at no cost to the author: 

    For further information, please see the Company of Biologists’ guide for authors.

  • De Gruyter

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    De Gruyter Journal Open Access R&P Transitional Agreement 2024-2026

    • corresponding authors affiliated to the University of Sussex can publish Open Access with a CC BY licence in hybrid and fully Open Access journals at no cost to the author
    • please be aware, some partner or society journals apply a CC BY-NC-ND licence.

    For further information and author guidelines, visit De Gruyter.

  • Institute of Physics (IOP)
    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    IOP Read and Publish 2024-2026

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish Gold Open Access at no cost from journals found on lists A, B, C and D
    • corresponding authors can also benefit from a 70% discount on the standard APC of hybrid journals not included in the main list.

    Visit IOP for further information, author guidelines and lists of eligible IOP journals.

  • Oxford University Press (OUP)

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    OUP Read and Publish Agreement 2026-2028

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish Gold Open Access at no cost
    • eligible article types: research article, review article, brief reports and case reports
    • all eligible articles will be published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence, except for society titles that do not offer a CC BY option
    • please note this agreement covers the Open Access charge only and not page or colour charges if applied.

    Author Actions:

    For further information and the list of eligible journals and author actions, visit OUP's UK Read & Publish deal.

  • Public Library of Science (PLOS)

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    PLOS OA Flat Fee Publishing 2026 – 2027 

    Corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish Gold Open Access at no cost in the following nine PLOS journals:

    All articles are published with a CC BY licence.

    All articles require a data availability statement.

    For more information, visit PLOS.

  • Portland Press

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    Read and Publish agreement 2026

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish Open Access at no cost in all seven of the Portland Press journals.

    For further information, please visit Portland Press.

  • Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    Royal Society of Chemistry Read & Publish Agreement 2026-2029

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish peer-reviewed articles at no cost in RSC Hybrid journals
    • all peer-reviewed article types are covered in this agreement, which fall into three main categories: full papers, communications, and reviews
    • articles will be published with a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence.

    For more information and author guidelines, visit RSC.

  • Royal Society Publishing

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    Royal Society Journals Read and Publish Agreement 2026-2028

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish Gold Open Access at no cost in any Royal Society journal.

     Author actions:

    • during the submission process, along with indicating your affiliation with Sussex, please select the Read & Publish option.

     For more information, visit The Royal Society.

  • SAGE

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    SAGE Journals Read and Publish 2026 – 2028

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish their work in the full portfolio of SAGE hybrid journals
    • in addition, authors publishing in any of SAGE’s fully Open Access journals will receive a 20% APC discount. See SAGE’s list of Gold OA journals.

    Author actions:

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex should automatically be included in this deal. 

    For more information, visit SAGE.

  • Springer Nature

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to author.

    Springer Nature Read and Publish 2026-2028

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish Gold Open Access at no cost in most of the Springer and Nature Portfolio hybrid journals. See the lists of eligible Springer and Nature journals
    • the Nature Portfolio agreement is capped and the publishing limit has been reached. Please note that additional payment for papers beyond the limit cannot be covered by the Library
    • the agreement does not include fully Open Access journals, but these do attract a 15% discount on the APC. See the list of eligible fully Open Access journals.

    For more information, visit Springer. Also see Springer UK guide for corresponding authors [PDF 340.39KB].

  • Taylor & Francis

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    Taylor & Francis Read and Publish OA Agreement 2026-2028

    Please note: an annual article cap applies to this agreement, at which point the eligibility criteria may be subject to change.

    • corresponding authors affiliated with the University of Sussex can publish Gold OA at no cost via the following routes: Open Select (hybrid) journals; fully OA journals; and the publishing platforms F1000Research and Routledge Open Research
    • Taylor & Francis offer corresponding authors affiliated to the University of Sussex the opportunity to publish Gold OA when publishing in Taylor & Francis and Routledge Open Select (hybrid), Fully OA / F 1000 Research and Routledge Open Research Journals at no cost to themselves. Read more information on Open Select (hybrid) journals.

     Author actions:

    • all accepted research articles meeting the eligibility requirements will be considered for OA publication under this agreement
    • with regard to eligibility, paper types other than original research articles will be considered for F1000Research and Routledge Open Research. See more on eligible F1000 article types.

    For more information, visit Taylor & Francis.

  • Wiley

    Agreement: publish Gold OA at no cost to the author.

    Jisc Wiley Read and Publish Open Access Agreement 2026-2028

    Author actions:

    • see Wiley’s Open Access webpage, which includes eligibility criteria as well as step-by-step guides for both hybrid and fully Open Access publishing.

Discounts and Memberships

Publisher discounts and memberships offer eligible corresponding authors the ability to reduce publication costs. Please refer to the conditions for each agreement below.

Supported initiatives

The University of Sussex supports a variety of Open Access publication models. Please refer to the information for each initiative below.

  • AUPresses

    The Association of University Presses advances the essential role of a global community of publishers whose mission is to ensure academic excellence and to cultivate knowledge.

    For further information, please visit AUPresses.

  • Open Science Framework

    The Open Science Framework (OSF) is an open-source platform for managing, sharing, and publishing research outputs, offering personal and collaborative workspaces and enhancing discoverability. 

    If you are already registered with the OSF, please follow these instructions to link your existing account with the University of Sussex account.

    Please visit the University of Sussex OSF platform.

  • SCOAP3

    SCOAP3 is a partnership of over 3,000 libraries, key funding agencies and research centers in 44 countries, regions and territories, and three intergovernmental organisations. Working with leading publishers, SCOAP3 has converted key journals in the field of High-Energy Physics to Open Access. These journals, select existing Open Access journals, and select books and monographs are all centrally supported, removing existing financial barriers for authors and allowing a free and easy scientific discourse in High-Energy Physics.

    Author actions:

    • publishing in any of the SCOAP3 journals incurs no cost to the author. Click through to each listed journal to read their respective Author Guidelines.

    For more information, please visit SCOAP3.

  • CEU Press Opening the Future

    Opening the Future is a monograph subscription model that makes library funds go further through its collective membership scheme: achieving the dual objectives of enhancing collections while also supporting open access.

    The University of Sussex has purchased the East Meets West package, which focuses on Russian imperialism.

    For more information, visit CEU Press.

  • Michigan State University Press Opening the Future

    Opening the Future is a monograph subscription model that makes library funds go further through its collective membership scheme: achieving the dual objectives of enhancing collections while also supporting open access.

    The University of Sussex has purchased the African and Diaspora Studies package.

    For more information, visit MSU Press.

  • MIT Press Direct to Open (D2O)

    The MIT Press D2O harnesses the collective power of libraries to support open and equitable access to vital, leading scholarship. It also enables the Diamond Open Access publication of digital monographs from the MIT Press, and, beginning in 2026, from Duke University Press and Goldsmiths Press as well.

    The University of Sussex has purchased the compete collection, covering MIT, Duke, and Goldsmiths.

    For more information, visit MIT Press.

  • Open Book Collective (OBC)

    The OBC brings together publishers, publishing service providers, and scholarly libraries to secure the diversity and financial futures of Open Access book production and dissemination.

    Initiatives included in the package:

  • Open Library of Humanities (OLH)

    The Open Library of Humanities is an award-winning publisher of humanities scholarship based at Birkbeck, University of London. The OLH currently hosts 35 peer-reviewed academic journals, including the flagship Open Library of Humanities Journal.

    For more information, visit OLH.

  • Peer Community In (PCI) & Peer Community Journal (PCJ)

    Peer Community In (PCI) offers thematic platforms to review preprints and the multidisciplinary, indexed and Diamond Open Access Peer Community Journal (PCJ), where validated preprints can be published free of charge for authors.

    Following submission by authors, thematic PCIs evaluate preprints in their respective scientific fields through rigorous peer review. Upon positive evaluation, the PCIs validate and publicly recommend those preprints, making them complete, reliable, and citable. Authors who need to publish their PCI-recommended article in a journal can transfer it for publication, free of charge, in PCJ or submit it to a PCI-friendly or other journal.

    For more information, including information on PCJ, visit PCI.