Prepaid OA in Springer hybrid journals
The Big Ten agreement simplifies both author and librarian workflows at IU
This screen capture from one of the hundreds of Springer Hybrid journals, Frontiers of Earth Science, showcases the ease of author identification when submitting a manuscript for consideration.
Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) and Springer Nature Announce Unlimited Open Access Publishing Agreement for hybrid journals.
Faculty across the BTAA, including those at Indiana University Bloomington, now have prepaid open access publishing in Springer hybrid journals.
The two-year Open Publishing Agreement between the BTAA and Springer Nature is the publisher’s first unlimited and uncapped open access agreement in the Americas. Authors from participating Alliance campuses, including Indiana University Bloomington, can now publish their work openly (i.e., not behind a paywall) in all Springer hybrid journals without paying article processing charges (APCs).
The agreement simplifies author workflows, allows for authors to retain rights in their work, and ensures that published articles are immediately open and available to everyone under a Creative Commons license.
This agreement runs from Jan. 2025 to Dec. 2026 and offers Bloomington authors open access publishing at no charge in hybrid journals under the Springer, Adis, and Palgrave Macmillan imprints, as well as academic journals on nature.com and several smaller imprints, but not Nature or any of the Nature-branded titles.
Some open access models rely on publishing quotas or credit systems. Under this agreement, faculty, students, and staff can publish without these concerns. The prepaid agreement streamlines the process for authors, and makes publishing much less complicated. When submitting materials for consideration, authors need to identify themselves as a member of the IU Bloomington community and use their university email address . This is all that is required to activate the process. The BTAA will serve as the central payer for all participating libraries—the absence of APCs results in significantly reduced campus overhead in managing payments.
Beyond publishing, this agreement also grants full read access to the entire Springer Hybrid portfolio across all participating campuses, which includes over 2,200 titles.
Participants include Indiana University, Michigan State University, Northwestern University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, University of Illinois, University of Iowa, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Oregon, University of Wisconsin, and the University of Chicago.
IU Libraries supports Open Access publishing and negotiates both independently and collectively on behalf of IU authors.
Learn more about the BTAA SpringerNature hybrid journal agreement.
IU Libraries has similar open access agreements with other publishers. We have created a library research guide with details on no-cost and discount open access publishing for IU Bloomington authors.
About the Big Ten Academic Alliance
The Big Ten Academic Alliance, known as the BTAA, is the nation’s preeminent model for effective collaboration among research universities. For over half a century, these world-class institutions have advanced their academic missions, generated unique opportunities for students and faculty, and served the common good by sharing expertise, leveraging campus resources, and collaborating on innovative programs.
Governed and funded by the provosts of the member universities, BTAA mandates are coordinated by a staff from its Champaign, Illinois headquarters.
The nineteen world-class libraries of the Big Ten Academic Alliance include Indiana University, Michigan State University, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, Rutgers University, University of California Los Angeles, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Iowa, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, University of Oregon, University of Southern California, University of Washington, University of Wisconsin–Madison, and the University of Chicago.
Contributors
Michelle Crowe
Assistant Dean, Engagement, Strategic Partnerships, and Communications