Libraries' OA publishing agreement with PLOS will end on Dec. 31, 2026

Since 2021, the Libraries has engaged in various agreements with PLOS to cover required open access (OA) publishing fees for NC State authors. Our current multi-year agreement with PLOS will end on December 31, 2026, and, due to budgetary uncertainties, this subscription is no longer sustainable. Beginning January 1, 2027, we will no longer have an agreement that covers PLOS publication fees. This means that if you have a manuscript formally accepted after Dec 31, 2026 in any PLOS journal, you will be responsible for those costs. 

If you don’t have funds to pay the OA publication fees, your best option may be to consider other venues for your manuscripts. You can view information about all of our current OA agreements, including details about eligibility and included journals. We would also be happy to help you identify options that wouldn’t require you to pay an article processing charge. You may also wish to check with your college or department for advice on seeking funds.

Why This Is Happening

In the past five years, the Libraries has adapted our approach to supporting OA publishing as publishers have developed new models. Our current approach to OA publishing support for researchers is, when possible, to negotiate what are called “Read and Publish” agreements. This means that the publishers add in coverage for OA publishing fees (“Publish”) as a side agreement to the journal content access we pay for (“Read”). While the forms of these arrangements may vary, overall they are cost-neutral or entail a manageable additional cost for the Libraries. Currently, we have a number of “Read and Publish” agreements with major publishers, including Elsevier, Wiley, and Springer Nature, among others. You can also read more about the Libraries’ approach to institutional open access initiatives.

Unfortunately, PLOS’s model is not cost-neutral and does not adhere to the “Read and Publish” approach we currently focus on in support of OA publishing. Since PLOS is an entirely OA journal publisher, the NC State University community already has “Read” access to PLOS journals without the Libraries paying any subscription fees. This means that the Libraries’ coverage of PLOS OA publishing fees, while a benefit to individual university authors, is not connected in any way to our subscriptions and does not advance our core imperative to provide access to content for the entire university community.

While we understand the challenges that authors face when confronting OA publishing fees, the Libraries must prioritize our role of paying for journal content—a role no other entity on campus plays—and view our budgetary support for OA publishing as an add-on when possible through our “Read and Publish” agreements.

If you have questions, please contact the Libraries’ Open Access team: library_openaccess@ncsu.edu.