Research support
Open access publishing
Learn more about Read and Publish agreements with our partner publishers and open access publishing.
York St John University supports open access publishing initiatives, encouraging the Green or Diamond routes to open access (OA) where possible.
We recommend all researchers to familiarise themselves with the author steps of open access publishing on this webpage to ensure policy compliance and be aware of potential publication costs.
Open access routes:
Open access publishing has a variety of models and open access routes.
A self-archiving model where a version of the work (Author Accepted Manuscript) is deposited onto an institutional repository (RaY) on formal acceptance. This version is made OA usually after a publisher placed embargo. (Please see the Rights Retention webpage for more information in removing embargoes)
Asserting Rights Retention on the Green Open Access Route overrides any embargo.
Visit our Rights Retention page and user guide for more information.
An OA model where there is no charge to for read access or article processing charges to authors (APCs).
A fully OA model where there is no charge for read access, but an article processing charge (APC) is required to make an output OA on the publisher platform.
Read and Publish deals
Library and Learning services have some transitional agreements with publishers, also known as Read and Publish deals. These deals combine traditional, subscription-based access and publishing with Open Access elements, enabling authors to publish OA at no cost. The aim of Read and Publish deals are to transition from subscription-based content to fully open access.
Read and Publish Deals focus on two open journal types: hybrid journals and gold journals. Each publisher has a different offering, with most York St John deals offering hybrid journals only.
We recommend all authors contact ray@yorksj.ac.uk prior to submitting to a journal to confirm eligibility, open access route and any additional steps required. If an article is accepted in a non-eligible Gold journal, authors will be faced with a full article processing charge (APC).
A subscription-based journal with some Open Access (OA) elements. Some of the content is available to journal subscribers only, with other content made OA on publication. Hybrid journals offer two OA routes – Green OA and Gold OA.
Assigning the Gold Open Access Route in Hybrid journals avoids APCs to the author due to subscriber costs. However, there are additional charges to institutions.
A fully open access model where all journal content is free to access by everyone. However, an article processing charge to make content is required. Gold journals can only use the gold route to OA and the Author Accepted Manuscript cannot be archived or made open access on institutional repositories free of charge.
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National negotiations for Read and Publish deals 2026
In December 2025, negotiations between the UK higher education sector and five academic publishers concluded. York St John has renewed all five Read and Publish agreements:
- Elsevier
- Springer Nature
- Taylor & Francis
- Wiley
- Sage
This reaffirms our commitment to investing in high‑quality resources for students and supporting the continued growth of the University’s research culture.
Publisher partners
York St John University currently has deals with 8 publishers. All agreements are subject to change, with each publisher having a different offering. Please see below for each publisher for more information.
Please contact RaY (ray@yorksj.ac.uk) before submitting a publication using these deals. This is to confirm eligibility of journals at the time of submission.
Unlimited Open Access publishing in hybrid and gold journals.
Unlimited Open Access publishing in hybrid journals only – including Cell Press and some Lancet Titles.
There is a 15% APC discount when publishing in gold journals (processed by Library and Learning Services but returned to author/bill payer).
Please contact RaY (ray@yorksj.ac.uk) before submitting a publication using this deal. This is to confirm which journals are eligible for the deals.
Open access publishing in most hybrid and gold journals – subject to a consortium cap.
Unlimited gold Open Access publishing in 7 PLOS journals:
- PLOS ONE
- PLOS Genetics
- PLOS Pathogens
- PLOS Computational Biology
- PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
- PLOS Digital Health
- PLOS Complex Systems
Unlimited Open Access publishing in hybrid journals only.
There is a 20% discount when publishing in gold journals (processed by Library and Learning Services but returned to author/bill payer).
Further information for SAGE journals can be found on the SAGE website.
Please contact RaY (ray@yorksj.ac.uk) before submitting a publication using this deal. This is to confirm eligibility of journals at the time of submission.
Unlimited Open Access publishing in selected hybrid journals only (Springer, Adis and Palgrave Macmillan titles).
Please contact RaY (ray@yorksj.ac.uk) before submitting a Springer publication. This is to confirm if a journal is part of the University's Springer package and eligibility of journals at the time of submission.
Open Access publishing in hybrid (Open Select) journals only – subject to a consortium cap.
Open Access publishing in all Wiley journals (hybrid and gold) – gold journals are subject to consortium cap.
Community-led initiatives and free to publish journals
In addition to Read and Publish offerings, community and scholarly led initiatives are working to make open access publication possible for authors with no article processing charges.
These are known as Diamond journals, a fully open access model with no barriers to open access. It allows immediate access to content on the publisher platform without embargoes, without any submission or publishing costs to the author, or the need to assert Rights Retention. Copyright of Diamond Journals stay with the author under an attribution open licence.
Community-led initiatives have also influenced commercial publishers, with growing packages and pilot schemes of Diamond journal packages.
- Collective Pathway to Open Publishing (Taylor & Francis)
- Diamond Open Access Journals (Emerald)
Open Journals Collective
The Open Journals Collective is made up of academics, librarians and publishers, who work with funders to ensure a sustainable publishing model for authors.
Search the catalogue of fully open access journals with no publishing costs
Article Processing Charges (APCs)
If the Green or Diamond routes to OA or a journal is not eligible under Read and Publish deals, only then should you consider an APC.
The University does not have any funds to assist with APC costs.
If you have received research funding for your research, check that your funder permits using these funds to pay for an APC.
When considering APCs, check that fees are clearly explained, that the information is easy to find on publisher websites, and that there are no additional or hidden costs. A lack of information could indicate a predatory publisher.
Open access publishing: author steps
We encourage authors to check journal types prior to submitting.
Check the Read and Publish deals for information about which journal types are eligible (Hybrid of Gold).
Use publisher check tools for specific journals, and confirm with ray@yorksj.ac.uk
For publishers not part of the Read and Publish deals, only hybrid/subscription or Diamond journals will have no article processing charges. Check with ray@yorksj.ac.uk for information about a journals status or open access policy.
If a hybrid journal, check the Rights Retention publisher notification list to see if Rights Retention can be asserted. (Note that all publishers under Read and Publish deals have been notified and all hybrid journals are automatically under Rights Retention)
For Read and Publish journals, and any other pre-notified Hybrid journals, add a Rights Retention statement in the acknowledgement section of the submission, and any additional documentation or covering letter. (See Rights Retentionpage for more information)
If accepted in a Hybrid journal the author accepted manuscript (AAM) must be deposited onto RaY within one month of acceptance along with metadata of the acceptance date and journal information. The AAM should be in accessible format. Please see the RaY Guide below for information on how to deposit research onto RaY.
RaY Guide for Staff (PDF, 0.6 MB)
The Library Scholarly Communications Teams will then check publisher policies and Rights Retention status and apply any terms.
When your article is formally published please alert ray@yorksj.ac.uk who can then update the RaY records.
