What Have We Learned from Subscribe to Open?

Subscribe to Open (S2O), the model by which open access publication is funded by annually renewed subscriptions, has grown exponentially since it was first implemented by Annual Reviews.* A growing number of publishers use the model to deliver equitable open access to an ever more diverse list of journals and books. Increasingly, librarians are enthusiastic to support the model, as it not only aligns with their institutional goals for open research but also resolves concerns around inequitable article processing charge- (APC-) based models.

There are many opportunities for publishers to implement the model successfully and for librarians to support it. As with any innovative new model, it also faces headwinds. On the one hand, this model offers a compelling means of supporting open access, especially for smaller publishers, niche publications, and underfunded disciplines that remain an important part of library acquisition strategies. On the other hand, budget constraints and funding restrictions remain challenges that even this model cannot (and does not aim to) solve. Supported by important intermediaries and other key stakeholders, publishers and librarians continue to work together to improve the model with each new year of offerings.

As we enter the 2025 renewal season, which marks the sixth year since the first S2O journals were launched, we come together here as two early S2O publishers to share our different applications of and experiences with the model: In 2020, Berghahn, of which Vivian is managing director, followed in Annual Reviews’ footsteps to become the second publisher to implement the Subscribe to Open model with their Berghahn Open Anthro initiative. EDP Sciences, of which Charlotte is director of marketing and communications, was another early adopter of the model in 2021 for several of their journals across astronomy, mathematics, and radioprotection.

S2O for the Social Sciences: Berghahn Open Anthro

The benefits of open access are recognized across the social sciences, particularly in anthropology, where researchers are driven by a strong sense of responsibility to share findings, especially with the communities studied. However, funding structures in the social sciences are very different from those that have propelled open access in the STM fields: there is much less money to go around, and those sums are often fragmented, with outputs generally focused on monographs rather than journal articles. Furthermore, disciplines like anthropology have taken issue with what is perceived as a pay-to-play system in the dominant APC model. As an anthropology publisher tuned into these concerns, we thought it was important to offer an alternative to the APC model’s economic dynamics, which are stacked against underfunded early career researchers or scholars whose institutions lack funds. In short, we sought to deliver the benefits of open access without perpetuating the accelerating inequities of the academy.

Implementing Berghahn Open Anthro

S2O spoke directly to our mission to advance the high-quality research of our journals while delivering a model that would enable a more level publishing field for our authors.

Our journey toward S2O began in 2019, with a workshop at MIT that brought together a wide variety of stakeholders of all sizes across scholarly publishing. The workshop focused on the viability of the still largely unknown model for a hardly known publisher like Berghahn. And despite some questioning the ability of a publisher of our small size in the social sciences to effect any change, we set about to make our ambitions a reality—after all, we all have to start somewhere.

We followed the workshop by conducting intensive brainstorming and modelling with our partners, Libraria and Knowledge Unlatched. This work included a library focus group that helped us assuage library concerns as we structured our offer. We launched our S2O program in 2020, opening thirteen of our core anthropology journals as a collection called Berghahn Open Anthro.

Following extensive data-crunching of authorship, usage, and subscription spends, we conducted a wide outreach campaign alongside our 2020 renewals, which included 101s and FAQs not only for the libraries we approached, but for the subscription agents who themselves were new to the model and still educating their own customer service teams.

We have repeated this process every year since and have witnessed the uptake of the model over time. Diving deep into the data was—and remains—key to our achievements, but it is also one of the biggest hurdles to demonstrating success, given the magnitude of data available and the difficulty of capturing unauthenticated usage. However, from the data that we have been able to collect, this initiative has been transformational. From 2020 to 2023, Berghahn Open Anthro has enabled the journals in its collection to publish nearly 2,000 authors from over 60 countries across over 800 fully OA articles. In addition, over 200 additional article types that would have been ineligible for APCs even if the funds were there are also now open access. You can download our 2023 impact report here.

Supporting Scholarly Societies and their Values

In 2024, Berghahn Open Anthro is in its fifth year. We have been able to support the open access publication of sixteen journals thanks to strong renewals in addition to new support from a diverse range of libraries. Two notable additions to our collection have been the flagship journals of the foremost anthropology societies in Europe: Social Anthropology/Anthropologie Sociale of the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA) and Ethnologia Europaea of the International Society for Ethnology and Folklore (SIEF). The members of EASA voted overwhelmingly to leave their large commercial APC-oriented publisher and take the journal open access on their own terms and in stronger alignment with their society’s values via our S2O model. SIEF, having initially transitioned their subscription-based journal to open access via the Open Library of Humanities (OLH), wished to find a publisher established in their field that could support their production and marketing needs in addition to their open access aims and scholarly values. These societies have helped to drive the S2O model forward as a viable alternative to read-and-publish/APC-rooted models, delivering the benefits of open access for their membership while retaining the income needed to support their publishing programs.

EDP Sciences and Subscribe to Open

Our experiences at EDP Sciences as early adopters of S2O across various journals in astronomy, mathematics, and radioprotection offer case studies on the effectiveness and adaptability of this model.

Astronomy: Subscribe to Open in a Gold OA Universe

Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A) is the largest S2O journal published by EDP Sciences and is likely one of the largest worldwide under the model. The journal operates in a dynamic environment where several core astronomy journals have recently flipped to gold OA. The high APCs of these titles have likely contributed to a significant increase in submissions to A&A. This surge in submissions reflects the journal’s reputation and the community’s trust in its quality, but the increased publication costs present financial challenges. Unlike gold OA, where revenue is proportional to the number of articles published, S2O is not currently well-adapted to strong and rapid journal growth.

The sustainability of the S2O model for A&A is currently precarious, requiring collaboration with the A&A Executive Board to maintain open access. This has included increasing the subscription price to cover rising publication costs, which poses a risk for the journal. Addressing this challenge demands careful and transparent communication with the community.

The A&A case highlights the importance of strategic adjustments and community support to ensure the long-term viability of the S2O model, particularly for high-impact journals.

Success in Mathematics: Community Support and Diverse Funding

Our mathematics portfolio has thrived under the S2O model since 2021. This success is largely attributable to support from libraries, institutions, and various funding bodies, including national research agencies. The driving force behind this community support is the Société de Mathématiques Appliquées et Industrielles (SMAI), with whom we co-publish the portfolio. SMAI has been instrumental in rallying the mathematics community to back the S2O model. Collective efforts have sustained open access for our mathematics journals, ensuring uninterrupted access to high-quality research. The mathematics community’s embrace of the S2O model demonstrates the necessity for clear communication and administrative frameworks that allow research funders to contribute to sustainable OA initiatives, moving beyond the traditional APC model.

Radioprotection: The realities of Subscriber Support

Radioprotection’s journey with S2O illustrates the financial realities and adaptability of the model. In 2023, EDP Sciences decided against transitioning Radioprotection to OA under S2O because we did not reach our subscription threshold. This decision was not a failure of the model, but rather a result of its conditional nature: without sufficient subscriber support, the model cannot sustain open access and will keep the content closed.

In 2024, thanks to increased library support and additional financial backing from the French Society for Radiation Protection (SFRP), Radioprotection successfully transitioned to OA through S2O. This transition shows again that the S2O model thrives on mixed funding sources and broad community engagement. The additional support from SFRP was pivotal, demonstrating how diverse funding streams can ensure the model’s success and sustainability. This decision-making process shows that the S2O model allows publishers to make informed, strategic choices based on financial sustainability.

General Progress and Future Perspectives

Overall, the S2O model has shown promising progress at EDP Sciences. Our experiences with three different scientific communities highlight the importance of community involvement, the need for diverse funding sources, and the value of strategic decision-making. As academic publishers, librarians, and research communities continue to explore sustainable OA models, S2O offers a flexible and equitable pathway that aligns with the broader goals of open science.

Moving forward, enhancing awareness and support mechanisms for OA funding, particularly through national research agencies and organizations like cOAlition S, will be crucial. Initiatives to modify financial regulations and create mechanisms to explicitly support S2O could significantly bolster these efforts.

Conclusion

As of 2024, thanks to the Subscribe to Open model, over 180 journals have been able to publish entire volumes in open access, which would never have been possible otherwise because of the shortcomings of the APC models for these journals and their respective disciplines. The S2O model continues to grow, with more publishers set to launch their S2O offerings in 2025. The model is supported by a thriving cross-stakeholder S2O Community of Practice (CoP) that was formed in August 2020 by Annual Reviews and some of the earliest S2O publishers (including Berghahn and EDP Sciences), supporting libraries, funders, subscription agents, and other interested stakeholders. The CoP now has nearly 100 members (individuals and organizations alike) and meets on a monthly basis to discuss experiences, achievements, and concerns, share advice, and pool feedback.

The CoP is committed to disseminating best practices and to building consensus and shared principles around S2O as a sustainable method for delivering equitable open access in a way that serves all its stakeholders. While the model evolves, its publishers strive to stay true to its core principles, of which conditionality (such as implemented by EDP Sciences) is fundamental and demonstrates resilience rather than failure.

S2O is still in its infancy, after all, and it must continue to address those who misunderstand the model, mischaracterize its function, or misapply it. Subscribe to Open offers a vital qualitative alternative to the high cost and exclusionary consolidation of volume-driven APC-based models. We must support its progression, learn from its setbacks, and celebrate its current successes so that there may be more in the future.

*Annual Reviews is the publisher of Katina.