Update on read and publish agreements: Elsevier, Sage, Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley

Upcoming changes to read and publish agreements 

As of 1 January 2026, our read and publish agreements with Sage, Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley have been renewed. We have not renewed our read and publish agreement with Elsevier. Library Services will support students, teaching staff, and researchers to access Elsevier content and achieve open access via other legitimate and cost-effective means.

While the final offer from Elsevier was accepted in principle by the sector in national negotiations led by Jisc, our analysis is that the agreement is not acceptable to us locally. Specifically, we were unhappy with the price increases, and Elsevier’s unwillingness to commit to a shift toward a more sustainable model of open access publishing. We will continue to monitor Elsevier usage throughout 2026 and will continue to engage in sector conversations around this publisher to inform our approach going forward.

We retain access to all currently subscribed Elsevier content until 31 January 2026.

Changes for students

• You may find that you no longer have immediate access to some journal and article content on Elsevier’s Science Direct platform. 
• Where Elsevier articles appear as essential readings on your online reading list, we will ensure that you have access to the full text of the article. 
• For all other content, we recommend that you:
  
  • Install the LibKey Nomad browser extension to help you find articles, chapters and books. LibKey will search for Open Access versions of resources as well as access via University of Essex subscriptions
  • Use Library Search to find Open Access and University of Essex access to content.

You can also use our Request a Resource service to get access to content which can’t be found via LibKey or Library Search.

Changes for teaching staff

• You may find that you no longer have immediate access to some journal and article content on Elsevier’s Science Direct platform. Instead, we will retain access to some years of some Elsevier journals, and these will remain accessible via Library Search. 
• Where Elsevier articles appear as essential readings on online reading lists, we will ensure that your students have access to the full text of the article. Where access is not available to us via Elsevier we will:
  
  1. Link to an Open Access version of the article where possible; this may mean that access is via an accepted version in an Institutional Repository
  2. Purchase a copyright-compliant digital copy where an Open Access version of the article is not available.

If neither option is available, we will advise you on finding an alternative resource for your reading list.

Changes for researchers 

• You may find that you no longer have immediate access to some journal and article content on Elsevier’s Science Direct platform. Instead, we will retain access to some years of some Elsevier journals, and these will remain accessible via Library Search. 
• To help you to get access to Elsevier content no longer available via University of Essex subscriptions, we recommend you:
  
  • Install the LibKey Nomad browser extension to help you find articles, chapters and books. LibKey will search for Open Access versions of resources. 
  • Use Library Search to find Open Access and University of Essex access to content. 

• You can also use our Request a Resource service to get access to content which can’t be found by LibKey or Library Search. 
• You can still publish in any Elsevier journal.
  
  • For fully gold journals (where Open Access is the only option for publication), funding is available from the Institutional Open Access Fund, and the UKRI Open Access Block Grant for UKRI-funded papers. Please continue to complete this form on or before submission to request funding.
  • For Elsevier’s hybrid journals (where authors choose whether to publish open access or behind a paywall), paywalled access will need to be chosen on acceptance. The author accepted version must then be uploaded to the RIS, to ensure it can be made openly available via the Repository after publication. Please note: payment for open access publishing within hybrid journals is not available from the Institutional Open Access Fund nor the UKRI Open Access Block Grant.

Where can I find out more?

Further information on the sector negotiations with Elsevier, Sage, Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley is available via the Library and Cultural Services webpages, including dedicated frequently asked questions.

If you have any specific questions or concerns, please get in touch.