Read and Publish: Elsevier
This guide covers the deals the library has with various journal publishers, and how to use those deals to read or publish articles without paying fees.
BCU Library has a Read & Publish deal with Elsevier until 31st December 2025.
If you have questions about what happens after this date, please see the Approaching the End of the Deal section, or the Next Gen OA Updates page.
This deal covers the fees for the following:
- Read access to Elsevier ScienceDirect Freedom Collection journals
- Publishing articles Gold Open Access in hybrid Elsevier journals (including Cell Press and Lancet imprints).
Criteria and Restrictions
Author eligibility
- You must be the corresponding author
- You must declare your affiliation with BCU
- This deal is open to both staff and students
Article eligibility
Article eligibility in journals under the Elsevier imprint
Eligible article types include:
- Full-length research articles
- Full-length review articles
- Case reports
- Micro articles
- Original software publication
- Practice guidelines
- Protocols
- Replication studies
- Short communication
- Short surveys
- Video articles
The following article types are not covered:
- Book reviews
- Editorials
Article eligibility in journals under the Lancet imprint
Eligible article types include:
- Full-length research articles
- Full-length review articles
The following article types are not covered:
- Book reviews
- Editorials
- Case reports
- Micro articles
- Original software publication
- Practice guidelines
- Protocols
- Replication studies
- Short communication
- Short surveys
- Video articles
Article eligibility in journals under the Cell Press imprint
Eligible article types include:
- Full-length research articles
- Full-length review articles
The following article types are not covered:
- Book reviews
- Editorials
- Some other exceptions - please check the publisher documentation for the specific journal
Journal eligibility
Eligible journals are:
- Hybrid journals. These will say "supports open access" on the journal homepage. These are journals that charge a subscription fee, but publish some Open Access articles.
The following journals are not covered:
- Fully Open Access journals. These will say "open access" on the journal homepage. These are journals that don't charge a subscription fee, and publish all articles Open Access.
Eligible Elsevier journals (last updated 2024)
Ineligible Elsevier journals (last updated 2024)
Unfortunately we don't have lists updated for 2025. You should double-check the journal's homepage to make sure it says "supports open access".
How to Access
- See also this five-minute video guide provided by Elsevier.
- Double-check that the journal is hybrid ("supports open access"), not fully Open Access.
- Check for any additional fees such as submission, colour or editorial fees, as these are not covered by the deal.
- Most Elsevier journals use Elsevier's Editorial Manager. You will need to make an account with this and log in to submit your article. (See 'More Information' below for help pages on the submission process.)
- You will need to list BCU as your first affiliation in your Editorial Manager profile. This will affect the Open Access options it gives you.
- It is easiest for the Library to confirm your affiliation if you also use your BCU email address when submitting articles.
- Make sure the 'Article Type' you select accurately describes your article, and is covered by the deal.
- The Editorial Manager should then confirm that it is a hybrid journal, and ask you to choose your publishing options. The choice you make here can be changed later if you wish. When you click 'Open Access', you should get a screen confirming that the Article Processing Charge has been discounted to zero.
- After your article has been through peer review and been accepted, you should get an email asking you to complete the Rights and Access form. This will be your last chance to confirm you want to publish Open Access. Again, you should get a confirmation that fee is discounted to zero.
- BCU Library & Learning Resources will then get a notification that you have requested Open Access publishing under this deal. We will double-check your affiliation and that the article is eligible, and approve the funding request.
More Information
Elsevier has several resources to help you navigate this agreement:
- General webpage about the agreement including eligibility FAQs
- Video showing the publishing process for authors using a Read & Publish Deal like this one
- The Elsevier eligibility checker lets you search for hybrid journals to see if they are included in the deal
- Elsevier's Journal Article Publishing Support Centre is not specific to this deal, but provides guidance for the entire publication process. This covers using the Editorial Manager, choosing Open Access and licence options,
Approaching the End of the Deal
This deal ends on 31st December 2025:
- Jisc (representing the UK higher education sector) are currently negotiating with Elsevier for a deal covering 2026 onwards.
- As of August 2025, Elsevier have made an offer and asked the sector to vote on whether to accept, accept with conditions, or reject it.
- This is a national negotiation and the outcome depends on how the whole sector votes, not just BCU.
What this means for you right now:
- Articles only come to the Library dashboard for funding approval after they have been accepted by the journal editors. We recommend submitting your articles early enough for an acceptance date before 31st December.
- The library may not be able to approve funding for articles accepted after this date, depending on how the sector votes.
- If your article is accepted in a hybrid journal after this date, it can still be published for free behind a paywall.
Please be aware of this upcoming deadline and check review timeframes when using this deal in 2025. We will keep the Next Gen OA page updated with the latest developments.