The Royal Society has announced plans to make all its eight subscription journals open access from January 2026. The ‘subscribe to open’ (S2O) publishing model will allow researchers and authors to access the journals for free, as long as enough libraries maintain their subscriptions.
Under this model, the Society’s remaining two ‘gold’ open-access journals will remain subject to article-processing charges. However, the S2O model has been adopted by a big-five publisher, Taylor & Francis, in a pilot project since October 2024.
The national science academy and Research Libraries UK have expressed support for the move, citing its benefits for readers and authors beyond those with existing subscriptions. The Royal Society aims to establish transformative ‘read and publish’ agreements with more institutions in the longer term, providing a sustainable model of open access.
The S2O model is seen as an exciting opportunity to transition journals to open access quickly and equitably. With this move, the Royal Society aims to continue its tradition of innovation in scholarly communication.
Source: https://www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-open-access-2025-8-royal-society-moves-to-make-all-its-journals-open-access-in-2026