Empowering Rowan University authors: Agreement with Taylor & Francis expands Open Access opportunities

Rowan University, the fourth fastest-growing public research institution in the nation, and Taylor & Francis, a leading international publisher, have announced a new, three-year Read & Publish Agreement. The partnership increases access to the latest research through Rowan University Libraries.

Rowan University authors—students, faculty, and staff—will now be supported to publish OA in more than 2,100 Taylor & Francis Open Select (hybrid) journals. With OA articles typically receiving higher downloads and citations, the agreement supports Rowan’s mission to advance research and scholarly activities in the pursuit of excellence. Upon article acceptance, authors may choose to publish OA, maximizing their reach and impact.

As the demand for Open Access (OA) journal content increases worldwide, publishers have created a new type of contract with institutions known as "Read and Publish Agreements" or "Transformative (Open Access) Agreements." These agreements allow authors to publish their research with an OA license without an article processing charge.

“We’re absolutely delighted to work with Rowan University to find a way to offer its researchers a path to publish open access, especially in fields where access to funding for OA is less available,” says Jamie Hutchins, Director of Open Research – Americas at Taylor & Francis.

“Our goal, always, is to find solutions that help our partners in achieving their strategic goals and to find the right fit for their specific circumstances. Partner success starts as we develop each agreement and continues throughout our relationship to ensure value and impact is achieved.”

Robert Hilliker, Associate Provost for Library Information Services, says the agreement is “in line with Rowan Libraries’ commitment to open values, ensuring that Rowan authors benefit from increased access to publishing in leading research journals, and that society benefits from open access to the fruits of Rowan’s world class research.”

Taylor & Francis, renowned for its Routledge imprint, stands as a global leader in publishing Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) journals. For the first time, Rowan researchers now enjoy the privilege of full, unrestricted access to the Taylor & Francis Humanities & Social Sciences Library, a comprehensive collection boasting over 1,400 titles. This feature expects to significantly boost Rowan’s HSS research.

“With Rowan University expanding its research output at an impressive pace, this is the ideal point to amplify the global impact of that work through the power of open access,” says Jeff Voci, senior vice president and commercial lead for Americas at Taylor & Francis. “This is a transformative agreement designed for a transforming university.”

Rowan is among more than 700 global institutions partnering with Taylor & Francis through a transformative agreement, including 11 others in North and South America.

Taylor & Francis is a leading publisher of open access journals, books and research platforms. In 2023, Taylor & Francis converted 26 hybrid journals to fully OA, launched the Elevate OA journal series, marked 10 years of OA book publishing, and introduced Pledge to Open, an innovative collective funding pilot.