SCOAP3 consortium prepares for next phase

SCOAP3, the consortium the aims to make high-energy physics (HEP) research open access, says that it is on track to meet its target start date of 1 January 2014. The initiative says that it is now ready to move to its next step: signing contracts with publishers and establishing the consortium.

In recent weeks, SCOAP3 partners and publishers have been working on the large-scale conversion of HEP subscription journals to open access and calculating reductions to current subscriptions costs. According to the consortium, for many libraries and countries the process is nearing completion.

'In partnership with 11 publishers and learned societies, CERN and the SCOAP3 community of hundreds of libraries worldwide continue their ground-breaking journey,' says the consortium. 'Together, this collaboration will provide open access to thousands of high-energy physics articles published in 10 journals. This will include the first-of-its-kind "flip" to open access of four entire subscription journals.'