Transformative Journals

Immediate gold open access options for all primary research

A Transformative Journal (TJ) is a subscription or hybrid journal that has committed to transitioning to fully OA – authors can choose between gold OA or subscription publication, based on their preferences, funder or institutional requirements, and APC funding availability.  

Our Transformative Journal reports

To see the full report on our first year of TJs, click here.

To see the full report on our second year of TJs, click here.

What authors need to know

  • Optional open access: You will have the option to publish your primary, original research articles OA^.
  • Compliance: By opting for immediate gold OA in a TJ, you will meet the requirements of any research funder/institution, including those of Plan S funders*.
  • Copyright: The copyright remains with you: open access articles in TJs are published under the liberal Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 international (CC BY) license. You are free to share and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
  • Open metrics and reporting: You will be regularly updated with metrics on the volume, usage, citations, and online attention of your OA article.

^Authors submitting non-primary research (e.g. reviews, perspectives etc.) will not be able to publish their work open access.

*Some funders may require additional actions such as archiving a copy of your OA article in a repository to meet compliance. Find out more from our OA funding and policy support pages.

Why publish open access?

We believe research should be open to all as soon as possible, so that it can be read, used and built upon.

Open Access © Springer Nature 2020

Find out more about the benefits of OA.

FAQs:

Which titles are Transformative Journals?

The full list of titles can be downloaded here. These titles will also be clearly marked on journal websites. 

I want to publish via the OA route. Where do I find APC funding?

Many funders and institutions make funding available to researchers to support APCs. You can find out whether you have access to funding for APCs by reviewing our open access funding page or check if your institution has a transformative Compact agreement with Springer Nature.

Can I still publish via the subscription route in a Transformative Journal?

If your funder requires gold OA publication or immediate OA (for example, under Plan S principles), then you should opt for the gold OA route to comply with these requirements. If immediate OA isn't required to meet your funder's OA policy, then you can still choose between gold OA and subscription publishing options, although TJs encourage all authors to consider OA because of the many benefits.

If I publish in a Transformative Journal, will this ensure that I meet my funder's or institution’s OA requirements?

Funders and institutions have different requirements, but by opting for immediate gold OA in a Transformative Journal this enables research to be as open as possible, and allows authors to meet the requirements of any research funder/institution, including those of Plan S funders. If your funder or institution requires you to archive a copy of your OA article in a repository, you may need to take additional action to do this. Find out more from our OA funding and policy support pages.

Will Transformative Journals still be part of Transformative Agreements (Compact) with institutions and funders?

As the majority of Springer Nature’s Transformative Journals are already part of transformative Compact agreements, these agreements will continue to cover APCs for those titles. We continue to work with consortia and funders to negotiate further agreements, and to include more Springer Nature journals under these agreements.

Discover open access at Springer Nature