This page provides answers to some specific aspects of publishing in Springer Nature journals. More general information on the Springer Nature elements of the deal is also available.
Can I only publish open access under the new agreement in Nature Research titles that we also have read access to?
The ability to publish open access in a Nature Research journal, and have the fee covered by the deal, is not restricted just to titles covered by our subscription access.
APCs for publication will be covered by this agreement where the corresponding author for an article has a Durham University (or other participating UK University) affiliation, up until the national cap on APCs in Nature Research journals covered by the agreement is reached.
Are publishing costs in Nature Review titles covered by this agreement?
No, publishing costs in Nature Review titles are not covered by this agreement.
Nature Protocols and Scientific American titles are also not covered by this agreement.
Are publishing costs in all Nature’s fully open access titles covered by this agreement?
No, publishing costs for fully open access journals are not covered by this agreement.
However, there is a discount of 15% on the cost of the APC for eligible/corresponding authors. The remainder of the fee will need to be met by other means – see paying for open access publishing for details on any potential institutional funds available.
Does the agreement have a cap (limit) on publishing?
There is no cap on Springer Compact and Palgrave hybrid titles. All research articles published in these titles, where the corresponding author is at Durham University or another participating UK institution, can be made open access under this agreement.
However, there is a sector-wide cap on the total number of APCs for articles published in Nature Research titles. It is expected that this cap will still be sufficient to cover all in-scope publications from participating institutions, and we will be notified if this changes over the course of a year.
Nature Review titles, Nature Protocols and Scientific American titles are not covered by this TA, and so publishing in these titles will not contribute to the cap for publishing in Nature Research titles.
Publishing costs for fully open access journals are not covered by the deal, and so will also not contribute to the publishing cap. There is a discount of 15% on the cost of the APC for eligible/corresponding authors. The remainder of the fee will need to be met by other means – see paying for open access publishing for details on any potential institutional funds available.
What happens when the publishing cap is reached?
The cap is only applicable to Nature Research titles (hybrid journals) that are covered by the agreement.
Once the cap is reached, costs to cover open access publishing will not be covered by the agreement. You will still be able to publish in Nature journals and will be able to make your article available open access under the terms of the University’s Research Publications Policy. This will allow you to meet any institutional and/or funder open access requirements.
Can I use UKRI or Institutional open access funds to pay APCs in Nature portfolio journals where an article is not covered by the agreement, e.g. if the sector cap on open access publishing has been reached?
In agreement with the University's Deputy Executive Deans for Research, and in alignment with other N8 universities, If an article is not covered by the existing agreement, e.g. if the cap is reached, we will not support the payment of APCs from central UKRI or institutional funds.
Why has the University decided that it will not pay for additional APCs in Nature Research journals not covered by the agreement, e.g. if the sector cap on open access publishing has been reached?
The cap is only applicable to Nature Research hybrid titles that are covered by the agreement.
As set out in UKRI's FAQs for the Open Access policy, their open access block awards cannot usually be used to pay for APCs in hybrid journals, except where these form part of a transformative agreement approved by JISC. Where these agreements include a cap on publishing costs, JISC closely monitor usage to prioritise UKRI funded articles to minimise the risk of extra payments for funded articles outside of these agreements, should a cap be reached. Should a cap be reached, however, UKRI allows organisations to exercise discretion on the use of available funds where this might entail paying a publisher additional funds on top of those already paid as part of the agreement.
Over 2023 and 2024, Durham University will already be paying significant sums to cover the costs of the agreement. The publish element of the agreement will account for up to 25% of our 2023-24 UKRI open access block award (dependent on the number of UKRI-funded articles supported by the deal). Publishing in Springer Nature's fully open access journals will, whilst receiving a 15% discount, be an additional cost on top of this.
A single APC in a Nature Research journal is more than 3x the price of an average APC for all other Durham published articles (based on 2022-23 costs), and almost double the price of the highest APC paid for any article by a Durham author with any other publisher since 2013.
In agreement with the University's Deputy Executive Deans for Research, and in alignment with other N8 universities, for articles outside of the agreement (e.g. if the cap is reached), we will not support the payment of additional APCs from central UKRI or Institutional funds.
Authors will still be able to ensure immediate open access is provided to their Accepted Manuscript of any article accepted for publication in any Nature Research journal under our University's Research Publications Policy. This will enable authors to meet the open access requirements of their funders, where applicable.
Can I use my own funds to pay APCs in Nature portfolio journals, if the sector cap on open access publishing has been reached?
Authors remain free to pay for an APC (approx. £8,500 plus VAT) themselves out of other funding streams they may have available to them. We would strongly recommend authors carefully consider the price of the APC and consider the options available to them. We would advise that authors ensure they can provide immediate open access to their articles as set out in the University’s Research Publications policy by depositing their accepted manuscript into our open access repository immediately upon acceptance.
Can I use the institution's Wellcome Open Access funding to pay APCs in Nature portfolio journals, if the sector cap on open access publishing has been reached?
For authors acknowledging funding from the Wellcome Trust, we would need to approach the funder on a case-by-case basis. The funder will then make a decision as to whether they will support the cost of the APC or recommend open access via another route.
Do I have a choice of licence for my article under the terms of the deal?
You will not be able to select a licence under the terms of the deal. All papers will be published immediately under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence and deposited in PubMed Central where applicable. This is the licence preferred by most funders with open access policies.
For authors acknowledging no funding, if there is a clear reason to use a more restrictive licence, you will need to opt out of the agreement with Springer, and then instead deposit your Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) into Durham Research Online (DRO) on acceptance, under one of the options for a more restrictive licence, as set out in our Research Publications Policy.
My research acknowledges UKRI funding, and I have requested and been granted permission by my Research Council to use a more restrictive Creative Commons licence. Can I select that licence under this agreement?
For UKRI funded authors, under their open access policy you have the option to request permission from the funder to use the more restrictive Creative Commons Attribution No Derivatives (CC BY-ND) licence. If this is required, and you have sought and received permission from your funder, you will need to opt out of the agreement with Springer, and then instead deposit your Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) into Durham Research Online (DRO) on acceptance, under this more restrictive licence, as set out in our Research Publications Policy.
I am not the corresponding author, what should I do to ensure my article is open access?
If the corresponding author for the article is not based at Durham, the article will not be automatically covered by the current agreement. If this is the case, to ensure immediate open access is provided to the research:
Are additional page or colour charges covered by the agreement?
No, any additional page or colour charges, will not be covered by the terms of the agreement. These also cannot be covered from the UKRI Block Grant, the Wellcome Block Grant or the Institutional Fund. Authors will need to have the means to cover any additional page or colour charges and are advised to check whether these would be applicable and to have a means of paying these confirmed before they submit their manuscript to the journal.
What is the cost of a Nature Research APC in their hybrid titles outside of the deal?
The APC is £8,490 + VAT (£10,188) - correct at time of writing – 26 May 2023.
If I do not wish to publish in a Springer Nature journal, or am unable to due to the costs being ineligible to be covered by the agreement, what are the alternatives to publishing in Nature?
Guidance on choosing a journal or publisher for your work can be found on our Research Support Guide. You can also contact James Bisset for additional support.
How do I publish open access under this agreement?
We are still awaiting confirmation from Springer Nature as to processes for authors to ensure their article is made open access under this agreement.
Can I retrospectively make my articles available OA under this deal?
Springer have indicated that they will not provide retrospective open access to research published in Nature titles prior to the signing of the agreement.
You can get in touch through our live chat service or by email, and search our FAQs for answers to your questions.
