Transformative Agreements
In a transformative agreement, a library pays a publisher to publish in open access, rather than for a subscription. In these agreements, copyright remains with the author, and the agreement is generally transparent. According to cOAlition S, transformative agreements "are those contracts negotiated between institutions (libraries, national and regional consortia) and publishers that transform the business model underlying scholarly journal publishing, moving from one based on toll access (subscription) to one in which publishers are remunerated a fair price for their open access publishing services. (Efficiency and Standards for Article Charges, ESAC)".
Transformative agreements are not perfect, but they represent a willingness to shift away from a traditional publishing system - and to prioritize the needs of our students in ensuring their access to affordable course materials.
For more information, explore the ESAC Transformative Agreement Registry, ESAC primer on transformative agreements, or this primer from The Scholarly Kitchen.
Transformative Agreements at USF
American Chemical Society
Through 2025, this agreement enables corresponding authors from SCELC (Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium) institutions (including USF) to publish open access in an ACS journal by paying a discounted APC (article processing charge) of $3,000; or to request full funding of the APC from the collective's ongoing subscription fees. For more information, take a look at the American Chemical Society press release, or the SCELC publishing guide.
Association for Computing Machinery
Through 2026, this agreement with SCELC institutions includes unlimited APC waivers for authors, and unlimited access to all articles in the ACM Digital Library. Authors are encouraged to use Creative Commons licenses. For more information, visit the SCELC agreement.
Cambridge University Press
Through 2024, this agreement allows University of San Francisco-affiliated authors to publish articles in fully open-access or hybrid open-access Cambridge journals at no cost to individuals. The agreement also maintains our access to Cambridge’s nearly 400 peer-reviewed journals. For more information read our post on Gleeson Gleanings, or take a closer look at the SCELC press release and publishing guide.
Elsevier
Through 2027, this agreement covers unlimited APCs for 1630 core "Freedom Collection" journals and hybrid journals, and capped APCs for 685 core fully OA journals. This transformative agreement does not cover open publishing in Cell Press or Lancet titles. For more information, please visit the SCELC publishing guide.
Springer Compact
From 2023-2024, this agreement with SCELC institutions "covers participating institutions’ corresponding author article publication charges in all 2068 hybrid journals contained within Springer, Palgrave, society-owned “Academic Journals on Nature.com”, and Adis collections included in your current subscription. It does not cover Nature-branded or Scientific American content.". For more information, take a look at the SCELC agreement.