Open access agreements for Switzerland

Information for authors

If you are affiliated with a participating institution, you may be eligible to publish open access in our journals with fees covered.

Selected Swiss institutions have open access agreements with Springer Nature, meaning that corresponding authors affiliated with participating institutions may be eligible to publish their articles open access with fees covered. The agreements include more than 2,100 journals across the Springer Nature portfolio. From January 2023, this also includes Nature and the Nature Research journals.

Established by Consortium of Swiss Academic Libraries (CSAL), these agreements will run through 31 December 2025.

Join our webinars on 25-27 September 2023

Find out how to get funding and publish your article OA under the Springer Nature transformative agreement with CSAL. Plus, you will get tips on how to write a successful paper. Sign up today.

25 September | Author journey and benefits of OA

26 September | How do journals operate?

27 September | How to write a scientific paper?

Publishing open access in a hybrid journal

This agreement covers open access publications in Springer, Palgrave & Adis hybrid journals on SpringerLink, and Academic journals on Nature.com.

Participating institutions
(PDF, 210.38 KB)
Eligible journals
(XLSX, 264.31 KB)

Ready to publish?

Springer
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Publishing open access in a Nature Portfolio hybrid journal

This agreement covers open access publications in Nature, the world's leading multidisciplinary science journal, first published in 1869 and original Nature research journals across the life, physical, clinical and social sciences.

Announcement on 2023 article allowance 
The Swiss CSAL Nature transformative agreement has reached its maximum article allowance. This means the agreement is no longer covering OA publishing fees for authors affiliated with participating institutions until 01 January 2024.

Participating institutions
(PDF, 119.38 KB)
Eligible journals
(XLSX, 129.31 KB)

Ready to publish?

nature research

FAQs

Who is considered the corresponding author?

The corresponding author is defined as the person who handles the manuscript and correspondence during the publication process – from manuscript correction and proof reading, to handling the revisions and re-submission of revised manuscripts up to the acceptance of the manuscripts. 

The corresponding author has the authority to act on behalf of all co-authors in all matters pertaining to publication of the manuscript including supplementary material. They are also responsible for obtaining such agreements and for informing the co-authors of the manuscript’s status throughout the submission, review and publication process. 

In addition, the corresponding author acts as the point of contact for any enquiries after the paper is published.

How can I make sure my article is eligible?

When you submit, use at least one of the below methods of recognition.

methods of recognition © Springer Nature 2021

Upon acceptance of your article, you'll also be prompted to provide your institutional affiliation.

How do I know if my article has been approved?

The approval manager at your institution will approve your article's eligibility based on your institutional affiliation, article type and journal name.

Once your article is approved by your institution, you will be notified by email and your article will proceed to publication.

Which article types are covered by this agreement?

  • Original Paper#: Standard article, usually presenting new results; articles published under this article type may also be referred to as Original Research, Original Article, Original Paper or Research Paper.
  • Review Paper: Standard article, interpreting previously published results.
  • Brief Communication: Short article submitted for rapid publication that exhibits the same structure as a standard article.
  • Continuing Education: Article forming integral part of further education (usually medical).

#When publishing in a Nature Portfolio journal, Original Paper is the only applicable article type.

What if I'm not covered by the agreement?

There are still plenty of ways to find funding for your article processing charge (APC). Visit our open access funding page to check whether your institution or research funder makes OA funding available.

Who can I contact for more information? 

Please email us at oa.verification@springernature.com if you need further assistance.