Milner Library signed its first open access agreement in 2021 to support Illinois State University authors and elevate institutional excellence. That commitment has only grown in subsequent years, and Milner is pleased to announce new agreements with Springer Nature and Wiley.
Publishing open access reduces barriers to scholarship and increases the visibility and potential impact of works produced by Illinois State University scholars. Milner Library’s agreements have covered Article Processing Charges (APCs) for over 115 articles, saving authors upwards of $390,000 while preserving author choice of where to place their work.
“Faculty and students in the College of Arts and Sciences are excited to make use of the new Springer Nature and Wiley open access agreements to disseminate their work more widely. Rising fees for authors and open access requirements from funding agencies often impact an author’s choice of where to publish, and such agreements to waive APC charges provide important support to our faculty and students,” said Associate Dean for Research, Facilities, and Technology in the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Laura Vogel. The three-year agreement with Springer Nature waives APCs for 25 articles accepted from Illinois State University corresponding authors in hybrid journals in 2025 and increase to 26 articles in 2026 and 27 articles in 2027, respectively. Similarly, the three-year agreement with Wiley waives APCs for 21 articles accepted from Illinois State University corresponding authors in hybrid journals in 2025 and increases it to 22 for 2026 and 2027. More information about these and other agreements is available on the Milner Library Scholarly Communication guide.
Eligible corresponding authors include Illinois State University faculty, staff, and students. “Both undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Arts and Sciences have taken advantage of these (open access) agreements,” Vogel said. “Being able to publish promotes student success and increases their competitiveness for jobs or advanced degrees. For faculty, these agreements allow their work to reach a wide audience and further their professional reputation.”
The ISU community is welcome to reach out to the Scholarly Communication Team at isured@IllinoisState.edu with questions about these agreements or open access generally.
