Open access to scholarly publications by definition means that research publications can be read online free of charge and without hindrance. This is one of the pillars of open science. Through open access, research results are available to as many people as possible as quickly as possible. (https://avointiede.fi/en/open-science-expert-panels/open-access-scholarly-publications.)
The scientific journal agreements negotiated by FinELib include open access benefits, which allow the corresponding author to publish their article in the open, either without an article processing charge (APC) or with a reduced APC. The conditions for obtaining these benefits and the processes used by publishers vary.
Open access benefits have been negotiated with the publishers listed below. For more information, please contact your organisation's library or information service. (https://finelib.fi/negotiations/using-oa/.)
Through FinELib, Centria has contracts with the following publishers:
Elsevier, Emerald, IEEE and Sage.
These publishers' publishing channels allow Centria to publish open access articles either free of charge or at a reduced fee. The conditions for open access vary from publisher to publisher.
Under the FinELib/Elsevier contract, authors can publish open access articles during the 2024-2025 contract period without paying an article processing charge (APC) in hybrid and hybrid-to-gold open access journals covered by the contract, or at a 15% APC discount in gold open access journals.
A limited number of open access articles are available.
The acceptance date of the article is between 1.1.2024 and 31.12.2025. The article is peer-reviewed. Articles will be published under CC BY or CC BY-NC-ND license. CC BY is recommended as it is required by many funders.
Detailed information and instructions: https://finelib.fi/open-access-publishing-in-elsevier-journals/
The FinELib consortium has signed a contract with Emerald, which includes the possibility to publish articles with free Open Access vouchers under CC BY license. By using the voucher, the corresponding author can publish his/her article without paying an article processing charge (APC) during the contract period 1.1.2025-31.12.2026.
For 2025, the consortium has 152 vouchers available.
The vouchers can be used by a corresponding author affiliated with the subscribing organisation of Emerald Premier. When submitting a manuscript, the corresponding author should use their organisation-specific email address.
Detailed information and instructions: https://finelib.fi/open-access-publishing-in-emerald-journals/
The FinELib consortium's contract with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) includes the right to publish articles free of charge in IEEE scientific journals during
the 2024-2025 contract period. The author does not have to pay an article processing charge (APC). However, the author may be charged for costs such as colours, pages and reprints.
A limited number of free open articles are available.
The corresponding author of the article is entitled to free publication. The article is peer-reviewed and accepted for publication for the period 1 Jan 2024-31 Dec 2025. The corresponding author is responsible for liaising with IEEE during the peer-review process.
Detailed information and instructions: https://finelib.fi/open-access-publishing-in-ieees-journals/
The Read & Publish agreement negotiated by FinELib and Sage enables free open access publication in Sage's hybrid journals. There is no author fee (Open Access Charge, Article Processing Charge), as the costs of open access publishing are included in the contract.
Articles published in fully open access (Gold OA) journals are eligible for a 20% discount on the author access fee or can be published without an author access fee, depending on the model chosen by the organisation. See Centria's list of magazines.
There is no limit to the number of open access articles that can be published free of charge.
The corresponding author of an article is entitled to free publication or a reduced fee. The article is accepted for publication between 1.1.2025 and 31.12.2026.
Detailed information and instructions: https://finelib.fi/open-access-publishing-in-sage-journals/