A new report outlines ways that small, society publishers could transition to open-access models that adhere to Plan S standards, according to ScienceInsider.
The Plan S initiative was developed by Science Europe and requires researchers receiving public funds to publish their work in open-access journals. Nearly a dozen European countries including UK, France, and the Netherlands have signed on, and so have other funders like the Wellcome Trust and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
But last year, some researchers raised concerns that the plan "goes too far" by not allowing publication in hybrid journals, which house a mix of open and paywalled articles and include a number of society-run journals.
In this new report, ScienceInsider says the Plan S proponents provide ways to help small publishers negotiate with libraries and move toward eliminating subscriptions while protecting their income and provide template contracts to use. It adds that the group has also helped coordinate pilots of these approaches, including one involving Biochemical Society.