Colorado State University researchers who want to make their work freely available, increase the visibility of their work, and create a global impact now have a powerful channel to do just that. Through the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries, the CSU Libraries has negotiated an open access “Read and Publish” agreement with Cambridge University Press.

Through the agreement, CSU authors can publish, at no cost, an unlimited number of articles in more than 300 open access journals from Cambridge University Press. The Libraries will pay the required article processing charges on authors’ behalf. Typically, authors pay these charges through grants or out-of-pocket, creating inequities in research authorship.

Authors can take advantage of the deal through Dec. 31, 2023.

“This is a great opportunity for CSU authors, especially those who haven’t made their work open access before. We’re helping reduce the financial burden on authors, while also making it easier for people to find and benefit from that research,” said Heidi Zuniga, faculty librarian and open access scholar at the CSU Libraries.

“There’s a wealth of research that shows open access articles, in all disciplines, receive more citations than non-open access,” she added.

An increasing number of commercial publishers are embracing Read and Publish agreements with research institutions. Similar agreements are also in place at large research institutions, such as the University of California System and Montana State University.