Up to publishers to mitigate open-access costs, says Sweeney

David Sweeney, co-chair of the taskforce implementing the controversial open-access initiative Plan S, has refused to rule out the possibility of publishers collapsing due to changes in revenue streams as a result of switching to open access.

Sweeney, who is also the executive chair of the university funder Research England, told Research Fortnight that there is a collective pressure to move to free and immediate open access.

“I think this is a change to the system, so all members of the system will feel under a degree of pressure, but it’s a change to achieve an aim that we have not yet achieved [full and immediate open access],” he said. Sweeney was speaking at the Research and Scholarly Publishing Forum at the London Book Fair on 13 March.