On 27 April, CERN and the American Physical Society (APS) signed an agreement for the Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics (SCOAP3). Under the agreement, high-energy physics articles published in three leading journals of the APS will be open access from January 2018 onwards. All authors worldwide will be able to publish their articles in Physical Review C, Physical Review D and Physical Review Letters at no direct cost. The aim is to allow free and unrestricted exchange of scientific information within the global scientific community and beyond. As a result of the agreement, SCOAP3 will cover about 90 per cent of all the journal literature in high-energy physics.
Convened and managed by CERN and launched in 2014, SCOAP3 is the largest-scale global open access initiative ever built, involving 3000 libraries and research institutes from 44 countries. The initiative is possible through funds made available from the redirection of former subscription monies: publishers reduce subscription prices for journals participating in the initiative, and those savings are pooled by SCOAP3 partners to pay for the open access costs.
“Open access reflects values and goals that have been enshrined in CERN’s Convention for more than 60 years, such as the widest dissemination of scientific results. We are very pleased that the APS is joining SCOAP3 and we look forward to welcoming more partners for the long-term success of this initiative,” says CERN Director-General Fabiola Gianotti.
