Taylor & Francis recently concluded the Pledge to Open Pilot 2023/24 on July 31, 2024. This groundbreaking initiative, launched in July 2023, aimed to foster open access (OA) for research books, transforming how scholarly content is disseminated and consumed globally. For academic publishers, the success of this initiative highlights the potential for increased visibility and reach for research output through OA models, offering valuable insights into future publishing trends.
An Overview of the Pledge to Open Pilot 2023/24
According to Taylor & Francis’ description, the Pledge to Open Pilot 2023/24 was designed to make 70 front-list research titles openly accessible at the point of publication. These titles were divided into seven collections, each focusing on a key global issue inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, such as climate change, green renewable energy, and wellbeing and mental health. Institutions worldwide could pledge to support one or more of these collections, contributing to the transformation of titles from subscription-based to OA.
Participating institutions, including top universities such as MIT, Carnegie Mellon University, Princeton University, and University College London, could choose collections most relevant to their research focus and pay a one-time fee per collection. The funds generated from these pledges were then pooled to support the publishing costs for OA titles. Even if the funding target was not fully met, the institutions still received perpetual, multi-user access to the titles they supported, ensuring value regardless of the final number of OA publications.
Of the final 26 titles selected to publish as OA, 50 authors and editors from 19 different countries contributed. Notably, 16% of these authors came from lower-middle-income countries, with contributors from institutions in Bangladesh and India, demonstrating the initiative's global reach and inclusivity.
Transformative Collections
The collections are categorized by seven key areas of research inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:
- Green Renewable Energy
- Climate Change
- Pandemic
- Women’s Health and Rights
- Race and Racism
- Wellbeing and Mental Health
- Populism and Extremism
Implications for Academic Publishers
For academic publishers, the Pledge to Open Pilot 2023/24 serves as a model for how to leverage OA to increase the reach of scholarly work while ensuring financial sustainability. By creating tiered pledging options based on the subject matter and offering perpetual access regardless of funding levels, Taylor & Francis provided a flexible, equitable way for institutions to participate in OA initiatives.
Moreover, this model highlights the benefits of OA for scholarly content. By removing the paywall, books on urgent global issues like climate change and pandemics can reach a wider and more diverse audience, ensuring that research has a real-world impact beyond the academic community. For publishers, this not only increases the visibility and citations of their publications but also strengthens their reputation as advocates for knowledge dissemination.
What’s Next?
Taylor & Francis will soon share details of Pledge to Open 2024/25, continuing their commitment to publishing OA books. The success of the Pledge to Open Pilot 2023/24 paves the way for more research books to be transformed into openly accessible resources, further broadening the impact of scholarly work worldwide.
Final Thoughts
The completion of Taylor & Francis' Pledge to Open Pilot 2023/24 marks a significant step forward in OA publishing for research books. As the academic community continues to embrace OA, the lessons learned from this initiative can serve as a blueprint for future efforts to democratize access to scholarly content. Academic publishers stand to benefit from exploring similar models, which offer a sustainable path to increasing the visibility, accessibility, and impact of their publications.For more information on the Pledge to Open Pilot 2023/24, visit Taylor & Francis’ official resource page here.
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