open access and IUCr Journals

1. Introduction

An open-access system of distribution of information is one where no charge is made to the reader (in contrast to the traditional subscription-based model). There are a number of advantages of open access including higher visibility of publications, higher citation rates of open-access publications and access to literature for scientists in the developing world.

This document provides a summary of the open-access arrangements for electronic editions of journals published by the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr).

2. Full open-access journals

The IUCr publishes four journals that are fully open access, i.e. all articles are made available free of charge to the reader. An open-access fee is charged to authors of articles published in these journals to cover the costs of peer review, journal production, and online hosting and archiving. These journals are:

For more details of the open-access arrangements for these journals click here.

3. Hybrid open-access journals

In addition, the IUCr publishes six hybrid open-access journals. These journals include a mix of a mix of open-access, non-open-access (subscription) and free articles. Authors can choose to make their article open access by paying an open-access fee, or may be able to publish open access without direct charge if their institution is part of a transformative arrangement (see individual journals for details). The journals are:

Funds generated from open-access payments will be used to keep subscription costs as low as possible.

4. Other information

Since the launch of Crystallography Journals Online in 1999, the IUCr has had a policy of providing free access to the full texts of certain types of article (for example, CIF Applications, Prefaces, Editorials, Letters to the Editor, Book and Software Reviews, Crystallographers, Notes and News, Addenda and Errata, and New Commercial Products); this policy will continue. In addition, a number of services including tables of contents, e-mail alerting, and the provision of supplementary material (e.g. CIFs, structure factors and other structural data) are free of charge to both subscribers and nonsubscribers.

The IUCr has an active policy concerning the long-term preservation and access to publications in its journals. The charge made to authors for open-access publication includes a contribution to the cost of the long-term preservation and access of the publication.

Click here to see a complete list of open-access articles in Crystallography Journals Online.