Researchers single out Elsevier in open-access campaign

More than 450 researchers have signed a petition to refuse evaluating scientific articles published by Elsevier, putting pressure on ongoing subscription negotiations.

The “No deal, no review” campaign is the latest push by Finland’s researchers to get a better subscription and publishing deal for the country’s universities and research institutions. The boycott, which specifically targets Elsevier, follows the more general Tiedon hinta (price of knowledge) campaign that was launched in November.

Since 2016, the FinELib consortium of universities and libraries has been negotiating national licensing agreements with international publishers as part of its efforts to increase open science. The consortium, which is funded by the government, has said that discussions with Elsevier have been particularly difficult. The previous agreement expired in 2016 and so far, a new agreement has not been reached. About two-thirds of academic subscription fees go to Elsevier.