Carnegie Mellon University and Elsevier Reach Transformative Deal
Pittsburgh, PA (November 21, 2019) – Carnegie Mellon University and Elsevier, a global information analytics business specializing in science and health, announced today they have reached a transformative agreement that prioritizes free and public access to the university’s research. Under the terms of the agreement, which is the first of its kind between Elsevier and a university in the United States, Carnegie Mellon scholars will have access to all Elsevier academic journals. Additionally, all articles with a corresponding CMU author accepted in Elsevier journals after January 1, 2020, will have the option to be published open access.
“Carnegie Mellon is committed to ensuring that our publicly funded research is accessible to the world,” said Provost James H. Garrett, Jr. “Moving our research to an open-access platform is an important step to knowledge sharing and helps pave a path forward for our colleagues across academia.”
Alongside this publishing partnership, CMU and Elsevier will collaborate on strategic scientific research projects that reflect both organizations’ unique capabilities.
“Elsevier is committed to open access and is thrilled to have concluded our first transformative agreement in North America,” said Elsevier’s Executive Vice President Gino Ussi. “This agreement reflects the truly collaborative and flexible way we have worked together with CMU to understand their needs and come to a mutually beneficial agreement.”
“This transformative deal is an important milestone in the university’s continued support for open access that marks a necessary evolution to support the changing needs of researchers,” said Dean of University Libraries and Director of Emerging and Integrative Media Initiatives Keith Webster. “As the first university to pilot this new model for academic publishing with Elsevier, we aim to prove its viability for other institutions.”
The University Libraries will be providing information to the Carnegie Mellon community to help scholars navigate this agreement and its impact on their work.
What’s happening?
We’re pleased to announce that from January 1, 2020 CMU faculty, staff, and students who are corresponding authors on articles published in Elsevier journals will be able to make these available open access without any payment.
What about access to the Elsevier journals I read?
Our access to the journal collections published on Elsevier’s Science Direct has been renewed for a four year period. Through this, we offer access to 3500 journal titles.
Who is eligible for the open access publishing option?
Any CMU author on an Elsevier journal paper who is the corresponding author.
Why does CMU encourage its researchers to publish their work open access?
If you publish your paper Open Access, you retain your rights as an author, your work is immediately accessible to anyone, and you have more control over how your paper is published and re-used. We encourage authors to choose a Creative Commons license.
How will my article be open access?
Because this is a first of its kind deal, the workflows are still being finalized. The best way to stay informed is to check this page for updates or contact your liaison librarian.
How does this new agreement affect the existing open access funding available through the Libraries' Article Processing Charge (APC) fund?
If a CMU author is the corresponding author on an article in an Elsevier journal, they will be eligible for the open access default publishing option so the APC fund is not needed. If you are not a corresponding author on an article in an Elsevier journal, the Libraries' APC fund may be used to pay some of the open access publishing fees. To see APC eligibility requirements and get more information, visit this site. Note: The Libraries pays the publisher directly upon receipt of an approved application for funding and the publisher’s invoice. We do not reimburse authors or departments for paid invoices.
How will this new agreement provide flexibility to accommodate all CMU authors, whether they want to publish open access or not?
The agreement provides the option for CMU corresponding authors to publish their articles open access. Authors who do not want to publish open access may opt out and publish their articles as subscription-only behind the journal’s paywall, as they do now.
How does this new agreement affect me serving as a reviewer or editor for Elsevier journals?
Your ability to choose which journals to review and edit will not be affected.
Will this new agreement affect access to Elsevier books and software tools such as Mendeley?
This agreement is specifically about Elsevier journals. Books and software tools are not part of this agreement and will not be affected.
Does this agreement include OA in Cell Press journals published by Elsevier?
No, this agreement does not include OA publication in Cell Press journals.
Can I continue to publish in the journal of my choice once the new agreement is in effect?
Your ability to choose where to publish your research will not be affected. Authors may continue to publish in and support any journal of their choice.
If you have questions about Open Access, from finding open materials to publishing and sharing your research, the Libraries can help. Reach out to: