In an effort to support Project DEAL, TU Berlin canceled its contract for access to electronic journals from Elsevier effective 31.12.2017. Since then, TU Berlin has been without a contract. At the beginning of 2019, the publisher blocked access to the online journals.
This affects all Elsevier journals published in 2018 and after. However, due to the rights obtained in previous contracts, access to some select journals published before 2018 is still available. Additionally, some individual articles from Elsevier journals have been published via open access and are thus freely accessible.
Background:
In Project DEAL, the German Rectors’ Conference (HRK) has been representing the Alliance of Science Organizations in Germany in ongoing negotiations with Elsevier since 2016 to conclude nationwide licensing agreements. The intention is to obtain access to all of the publisher’s journals and enable publishing in open access for members of German science organizations at a fair price.
Discussions with Elsevier have been unsuccessful thus far. In order to lend some weight to the negotiations, over 200 institutions in Germany have decided to cancel or not renew their contracts with the publisher, accepting the resulting significantly reduced access to the publisher’s journals.
We have answered the most important FAQs on this topic below.
Electronic journals from Elsevier published in 2018 or later are no longer accessible. However, due to the rights obtained in previous contracts, access to some select journals published before 2018 is still available. Additionally, some individual articles from Elsevier journals have been published via open access and are thus freely accessible.
Please use legal alternative methods of procurement for current articles that are not accessible online. This includes direct contact with the authors.
However, it is inevitable that you will not be able to access or procure some information.
You can use the University Library’s delivery services such as interlibrary loan and – for academic staff at TU Berlin – the express document delivery service.
If you hit a paywall – that is a site requiring you to log in or enter your credit card information – please use the options listed under “Useful tools” on the page Free Online Resources to search for available versions of the article.
Wiley:
A first contract was concluded with Wiley at the start of 2019.
The contract runs from 2019 until 2021 and covers read-only access to the entire portfolio of Wiley journals (for both older and current articles) as well as open access publishing for TU members in Wiley journals.
Further information about the contract with Wiley:
Project DEAL - Wiley contract
Springer:
The contract with SpringerNature was concluded at the start of 2020 and runs from 01.01.2020 until 31.12.2022. The contract covers read-only access to all online journals published by Springer and, as with the contract with Wiley, open access publishing in Springer journals and Nature open access journals.
Read-only access and open access publication for Nature subscription journals are not covered by the DEAL contract.
Further information about the contract with SpringerNature:
Project DEAL - Springer Nature contract
Further information about financing for open access publications:
Financing for publications
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