What is a Read & Publish agreement and what is it for?

A Read and Publish agreement is an agreement with publishers that not only guarantees access to scientific publications (Read part) but also allows open publication for researchers (Publish part). These agreements are negotiated at the Swiss level with major scientific journal publishers (Elsevier, Wiley, Springer Nature, Sage, Taylor and Francis, Ovid, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Karger). The annual costs cover access to journals and publication fees for a limited or unlimited number of articles, depending on the agreement, in a single payment.

These agreements were designed primarily to put an end to double dipping, whereby institutions paid twice for hybrid open access journals: once for access to the journal as a whole and once for publication. Read & Publish agreements are temporary in nature and are intended to initiate and continue the transition from Hybrid Open Access to Full Gold Open Access, with the aim of achieving a global shift to a sustainable, fully open access publishing model. However, despite this vision, the transition to this new paradigm remains slow, as highlighted by cOAlition-S, among others.

Who negotiates Read & Publish agreements and how are decisions made?

Read and Publish licenses are negotiated by the Consortium of Swiss Academic Libraries (CSAL). Acting on behalf of swissuniversities, the Consortium represents more than 40 Swiss universities and institutions. This collective representation strengthens Switzerland's position in negotiations with scientific publishers.

Decision-making processes vary depending on the publisher:

• For Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley (the “Big Deals”): The negotiation objectives are defined by the Open Science Delegation (DelOS) and then approved by the members of swissuniversities. By signing, the universities, institutions, and libraries concerned support these objectives and undertake not to conduct parallel negotiations. The results and experiences of previous negotiations are regularly discussed between the various stakeholders (universities, libraries, institutions). The final decision on whether to accept the agreement is taken by the Open Science Delegation (DelOS).
• For other publishers: Negotiations are based on the same principles and objectives as those for Big Deals. Negotiations are conducted by Swissuniversities and agreements are concluded in consultation with the libraries and institutions concerned.

Who finances the Read & Publish agreements for UNIL?

Under the regulations governing the Acquisition Fund for the University of Lausanne of the Canton of Vaud, the Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne (BCUL) is responsible for building the collections necessary for teaching and research at the University of Lausanne. As such, the University of Lausanne allocates an annual budget to the BCUL for this purpose.

The University of Lausanne therefore finances these agreements, while the BCUL is responsible for their financial and administrative management.

How much does this type of agreement cost?

Several agreements are subject to confidentiality clauses, particularly with regard to their costs. Details, if they can be disclosed, are available on the Swiss Library Consortium (CSAL) agreements website.

In 2025, 63% of the University of Lausanne's subsidy to the Cantonal and University Library of Lausanne (BCUL) for electronic resources was spent on products from ten major publishers, while only 8% was invested in Diamond and Gold models, and 29% in nearly 300 other types of products (specialized databases, journals from small publishers, and ebooks) . Prices are increasing by 5 to 10% each year, feeding publishers' profit margins of up to 40%.