The UK Royal Society is transitioning eight of its journals to the 'subscribe to open' (S2O) model next year. This model allows free access to published content if sufficient library subscriptions are secured. In past years, open access articles fluctuated from 17% to 60%, now slightly declining. The transition to S2O facilitates a potential 100% open access, according to the Royal Society's publishing director. However, if subscriptions fall short, article-processing charges (APCs) will continue for the remaining journals until 2027. The Royal Society joins a growing number of publishers implementing the S2O model, rising to 378 journals this year.
The S2O model makes the content a journal publishes on a given year free to access and publish, as long as enough libraries commit to paying an annual subscription fee. Without sufficient subscriptions, a journal will continue to charge publishing fees - known as article-processing charges (APCs).
Rod Cookson, the Royal Society's publishing director, says the S2O model "is as clean and as simple a transition to open access as you can do. It gets us to 100% open access in one stroke."
If there are not enough subscriptions to cover the publication costs, the Royal Society will continue charging APCs and try again in 2027. The society's two remaining journals will continue to be published under the APC-based open-access model.
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