With guidance from our members and the Content Strategy Committee, CRKN is pursuing read and publish agreements in alignment with our Strategic Plan. As part of CRKN’s commitment to drive the evolution of open knowledge, these read and publish agreements repurpose funds that CRKN members have traditionally paid in subscription fees for a publisher's journals, to cover open access publishing and full reading access for those same journals. Through these read and publish agreements, CRKN members have leveraged their collective negotiating power to support the Canadian research community. By covering the cost of open access publishing in these agreements, CRKN members are unlocking a significant volume of Canadian research publications, while ensuring that research funding can cover researcher needs rather than publishing costs.
Please select the publisher or service provider below for more information. Instructions on how to benefit from these agreements is included. For questions or more information, please contact licensing@crkn.ca.
Use the search bar below to find the open access publishing options for journals covered by CRKN agreements.
Authors
As of January 1, 2022, corresponding authors affiliated with an institution participating in the license agreement will be able to publish an unlimited number of their articles as open access in all Cambridge hybrid and gold journals for the duration of the agreement (2022-2024). No article processing charges (APC) fees will be levied for open access publication.
Cambridge uses an automated system, RightsLink, to associate authors with their affiliated institutions. Authors are encouraged to also use an email with an institutional domain to facilitate the identification of eligible articles. Please review the step by step guide to open access publishing for authors.
Libraries
Participating members can configure their institutional dashboards to automatically apply the APC waiver to authors. Please review the Journals Agreement Manager Workflow. A recording of the introductory webinar is available here.
The CRKN-Cambridge 2022-2024 agreement is available for download here.
License Participants
Acadia University | Brandon University | Brock University |
Carleton University | Concordia University | Dalhousie University |
École de technologie supérieure | École nationale d'administration publique | Institut national de la recherche scientifique |
Kwantlen Polytechnic University | Lakehead University | Laurentian University |
MacEwan University | McGill University | McMaster University |
Memorial University of Newfoundland | Mount Royal University | Mount Saint Vincent University |
Nipissing University | NOSM University | Ontario Tech University |
Queen's University | Simon Fraser University | Thompson Rivers University |
Toronto Metropolitan University | Trent University | Trinity Western University |
Université de Montréal | Université du Québec à Chicoutimi | Université du Québec à Montréal |
Université du Québec à Rimouski | Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières | Université Laval |
University of Alberta | University of British Columbia | University of Calgary |
University of Guelph | University of Lethbridge | University of Manitoba |
University of New Brunswick | University of Northern British Columbia | University of Ottawa |
University of Prince Edward Island | University of Saskatchewan | University of the Fraser Valley |
University of Toronto | University of Victoria | University of Waterloo |
University of Windsor | University of Winnipeg | Vancouver Island University |
Western University | Wilfrid Laurier University | York University |
Authors
As of January 1, 2023, corresponding authors affiliated with CRKN participating members will be able to publish an unlimited number of their articles as open access in the following five journals at no charge for the duration of the agreement:
- Biochemistry and Cell Biology
- Canadian Journal of Physics
- Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
- Genome
- Transactions of the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering
Upon article submission to CSP using ScholarOne, authors provide their institutional affiliation to determine eligibility. For accepted papers by CRKN-affiliated participants in each of the five journals, the APC is waived automatically.
Authors affiliated with an institution participating in the license agreement are also eligible to receive a 25% discount on the article processing charge (APC) for all CSP Hybrid journals. The following Gold OA journals are not eligible for the 25% discount: Arctic Science, Drone Systems and Applications, and FACETS. Authors must indicate their institutional affiliation upon submitting of their manuscript in order to benefit from the discount.
Libraries
There is no intervention (or validation) required by Libraries for this agreement. Once an eligible article is identified via the author’s affiliation, the discount will automatically be applied before the author is invoiced.
The CRKN-CSP 2023-2025 agreement is available for download here.
License Participants
Athabasca University | Brock University | Carleton University |
Concordia University | Dalhousie University | Lakehead University |
Laurentian University | MacEwan University | McGill University |
McMaster University | Memorial University of Newfoundland | Mount Royal University |
Queen's University | Royal Military College of Canada | Saint Mary's University |
Simon Fraser University | St. Francis Xavier University | Thompson Rivers University |
Toronto Metropolitan University | Trent University | Université de Montréal |
Université de Sherbrooke | Université du Québec à Montréal | Université du Québec à Rimouski |
Université Laval | University of Alberta | University of British Columbia |
University of Calgary | University of Guelph | University of Lethbridge |
University of Manitoba | University of New Brunswick | University of Northern British Columbia |
University of Ontario Institute of Technology | University of Ottawa | University of Regina |
University of Saskatchewan | University of the Fraser Valley | University of Toronto |
University of Victoria | University of Waterloo | University of Windsor |
Western University | Wilfrid Laurier University | York University |
Authors
Corresponding Authors affiliated with participating CRKN member institutions will be eligible for unlimited open access publishing in over 1,800 Elsevier Hybrid journals with no Article Processing Charge (APC), including in 165 Core Hybrid Specialty titles that are new to the CRKN agreement. Additionally, as a measure to ensure the ongoing eligibility of journals, any titles that convert from Hybrid to Fully Gold OA within the term of the agreement will remain eligible for the full APC waiver.
Corresponding Authors affiliated with an institution participating in the CRKN agreement are also eligible to receive a 20% discount on the article processing charge (APC) for most Elsevier Gold Open Access journals.
Authors must indicate their institutional affiliation upon submitting their manuscript in order to benefit from the waiver/discount. Please review the author workflow.
Several journals are excluded from the APC waiver, such as Cell Press, Lancet, and some other society owned journals. Click here to view the list of titles included in this agreement.
Libraries
CRKN is responsible for validating the eligibility of accepted articles on the Elsevier Open Access platform; for more information, please contact a member of our team at licensing@crkn.ca.
For retroactive conversion of articles that were published behind the subscription paywall after January 1, 2024, authors must follow the directions below when contacting Elsevier:
- Support Email Address: oasupport@elsevier.com
- Email Subject Line: Requesting OA Retrospectively
- Institution Name, and mention that the institution is part of the CRKN-Elsevier Agreement
- Article DOI
- Note that the publishing option is requested to change from subscription to OA.
- Retroactive conversion must be requested before January 31 of the year following publication (for e.g. January 1, 2025 for articles published in 2024)
The CRKN-Elsevier 2021-2023 agreement is available for download here.
The CRKN-Elsevier 2024-2026 amendment is available for download here.
License Participants
ATLANTIC REGION |
Acadia University |
Cape Breton University |
Dalhousie University |
Memorial University of Newfoundland |
Mount Allison University |
Mount Saint Vincent University |
Saint Mary's University |
St. Francis Xavier University |
Université de Moncton |
Université Sainte-Anne |
University of New Brunswick |
University of Prince Edward Island |
QUEBEC |
Bishop's University |
Concordia University |
École Polytechnique de Montréal |
HEC Montréal |
McGill University |
Université de Montréal |
Université de Sherbrooke |
Université du Québec: |
École de technologie supérieure |
École nationale d'administration publique |
Institut national de la recherche scientifique |
Télé-université du Québec |
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi |
Université du Québec à Montréal |
Université du Québec à Rimouski |
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières |
Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue |
Université du Québec en Outaouais |
Université Laval |
ONTARIO |
Algoma University |
Brock University |
Carleton University |
Lakehead University |
Laurentian University |
McMaster University |
Nipissing University |
Ontario Tech University |
Queen's University |
Toronto Metropolitan University |
Trent University |
University of Guelph |
University of Ottawa |
University of Toronto |
University of Waterloo |
University of Windsor |
Western University |
Wilfrid Laurier University |
York University |
WESTERN REGION |
Athabasca University |
Brandon University |
Capilano University |
Concordia University of Edmonton |
Kwantlen Polytechnic University |
Mount Royal University |
Royal Roads University |
Simon Fraser University |
The King's University |
Thompson Rivers University |
Trinity Western University |
University of Alberta |
University of British Columbia |
University of Calgary |
University of Lethbridge |
University of Manitoba |
University of Northern British Columbia |
University of Regina |
University of Saskatchewan |
University of the Fraser Valley |
University of Victoria |
University of Winnipeg |
Vancouver Island University |
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS |
NOSM University |
Authors
As of December 15, 2021, corresponding authors affiliated with an institution participating in the CRKN agreement will be able to publish an unlimited number of their articles as open access in most IOPP hybrid and gold journals for the duration of the agreement (2022-2024). No article processing charges (APC) fees will be levied for open access publication.
Most IOPP journals use ScholarOne for the submission process. Please consult the guide to submitting under a Transformative Agreement which outlines the author's workflow.
A small number of partner journals do not use ScholarOne. While the submission process may be slightly different from the steps described in IOPP's guide, eligible articles will still be identified and authors will receive a notification to that effect.
- Under Step 4, authors are required to select an Open Access choice. This choice will apply only if an article is not eligible under the CRKN-IOPP agreement. Articles which are eligible under the terms of this agreement will automatically be selected for open access publishing.
- Under Step 6, authors are required to select an Open Access choice. This choice will apply only if an article is not eligible under the CRKN-IOPP agreement. Articles which are eligible under the terms of this agreement will automatically be selected for open access publishing.
- Once an article is accepted, the author will receive a notification if their article is eligible under the terms of this agreement. The article will be published open access unless the author elects to opt-out in writing before completing the copyright form. Authors will not be charged an Article Processing Charge (APC) for eligible articles.
Click here to view the list of included and excluded titles in this agreement.
Libraries
There is no intervention (or validation) required by Libraries for this agreement. Once an eligible article is identified via the author's affiliation, the article will automatically be processed under the open access terms of this agreement. An instructional webinar recording is available here.
The CRKN-IOPP 2021-2024 agreement is available for download here.
License Participants
Acadia University | Athabasca University | Bishop's University |
Brandon University | Carleton University | Concordia University |
Dalhousie University | École de technologie supérieure | École polytechnique de Montréal |
Institut national de la recherche scientifique | Lakehead University | MacEwan University |
McGill University | McMaster University | Memorial University of Newfoundland |
Mount Allison University | Mount Saint Vincent University | Queen's University |
Royal Military College of Canada | Saint Mary's University | Simon Fraser University |
St. Francis Xavier University | Toronto Metropolitan University | Université de Moncton |
Université de Sherbrooke | University of Alberta | University of British Columbia |
University of Calgary | University of Guelph | University of Lethbridge |
University of Manitoba | University of New Brunswick | University of Ontario Institute of Technology |
University of Ottawa | University of Prince Edward Island | University of Regina |
University of Saskatchewan | University of Toronto | University of Victoria |
University of Waterloo | University of Windsor | University of Winnipeg |
Western University | Wilfrid Laurier University | York University |
Authors
As of February 1, 2024, corresponding authors affiliated with an institution participating in the license agreement will be able to publish their articles as open access in Oxford University Press’ (OUP) hybrid journals for the duration of the agreement (2024-2026). No article processing charges (APC) fees will be levied for open access publication.
Articles accepted for publication in OUP’s gold journals are not eligible under this agreement; however, authors will receive a 10% discount on APCs for articles accepted articles in these journals.
Upon article acceptance for publication in a hybrid journal, the corresponding author will begin the publication workflow process within OUP's system. A customized message notifies the author upon login that their accepted article is eligible for open access at no cost (will refer to their institution and CRKN as providers) and the default selection for the author is to publish the article open access at no charge. Authors must identify themselves as affiliated with a participating CRKN institution in order for their article to be verified and approved for no charge OA under the agreement. An autocomplete form will populate with institutional affiliations as the author types, and the institution names are pulled from the Ringgold institutional hierarchy.
Please review the step-by-step guide to open access publishing for authors.
Libraries
CRKN is responsible for validating the eligibility of accepted articles on the Oxford OA platform; for more information, please contact a member of our team at licensing@crkn.ca.
The CRKN-OUP 2024-2026 agreement is available for download here.
A list of eligible hybrid journals is available for download here.
License Participants
Acadia University | Algoma University | Athabasca University |
Brandon University | Brock University | Cape Breton University |
Carleton University | Concordia University | Concordia University of Edmonton |
Dalhousie University | École de technologie supérieure | École nationale d'administration publique |
HEC Montréal | Institut national de la recherche scientifique | Kwantlen Polytechnic University |
Lakehead University | Laurentian University | MacEwan University |
McGill University | Memorial University of Newfoundland | McMaster University |
Mount Allison University | Mount Royal University | Mount Saint Vincent University |
Nipissing University | NOSM University | OCAD University |
Queen's University | Royal Military College of Canada | Royal Roads University |
Saint Mary's University | Simon Fraser University | St. Francis Xavier University |
Télé-université du Québec | Thompson Rivers University | Toronto Metropolitan University |
Trent University | Université de Montréal | Université de Sherbrooke |
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi | Université du Québec à Montréal | Université du Québec à Rimouski |
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières | Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue | Université du Québec en Outaouais |
Université Laval | University of Alberta | University of British Columbia |
University of Calgary | University of Guelph | University of Lethbridge |
University of Manitoba | University of New Brunswick | University of Northern British Columbia |
Ontario Tech University | University of Ottawa | University of Prince Edward Island |
University of Regina | University of Saskatchewan | University of the Fraser Valley |
University of Toronto | University of Victoria | University of Waterloo |
University of Windsor | University of Winnipeg | Vancouver Island University |
Western University | Wilfrid Laurier University | York University |
Authors
Corresponding and contributing authors affiliated with an institution participating in the CRKN agreement are able to publish an unlimited number of articles in the following twelve PLOS journals:
• PLOS Biology
• PLOS Climate
• PLOS Computational Biology
• PLOS Digital Health
• PLOS Genetics
• PLOS Global Public Health
• PLOS Medicine
• PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
• PLOS ONE
• PLOS Pathogens
• PLOS Sustainability and Transformation
• PLOS Water
There is no cost to authors for open access publication. Authors must indicate their institutional affiliation upon submitting their manuscript in order to benefit from open access publishing at no cost.
PLOS has also prepared a publishing FAQ for authors.
Libraries
There is no intervention (or validation) required by Libraries for this agreement. Once an eligible article is identified via the author's affiliation, the author will not be invoiced.
A recording of the implementation webinar is available here: Kicking Off the Next Steps in Partnership
The webinar slides are available for download here.
PLOS has also developed a promotional toolkit for librarians available for download here.
License Participants
McMaster University | Memorial University of Newfoundland | University of Alberta |
University of British Columbia | University of New Brunswick | Western University |
Wilfrid Laurier University | York University | Mount Royal University |
Brock University | Mount Allison University |
UPDATE IN PROGRESS
Please note that PLOS is currently updating its workflow such that once an author has identified their institution at the beginning of the submission process, they do not need to re-confirm via the drop-down as was previously required. PLOS now uses domain authentication as a secondary step and has a tertiary internal step to ensure it captures all authors covered by institutional deals. Therefore, if an author cannot find their respective institution in the drop-down menu of the final step, they can ignore the absence and proceed with their submission as their eligibility will be caught internally. Once this update has been fully integrated, the PLOS team will release a formal statement that CRKN will share. PLOS hopes to have this update completed by Fall.
Authors
Corresponding and contributing authors affiliated with an institution participating in the CRKN agreement are able to publish an unlimited number of articles in PLOS Biology and PLOS Medicine under the Community Action Publishing (CAP) model. There is no cost to authors for open access publication. Authors must indicate their institutional affiliation upon submitting their manuscript in order to benefit from open access publishing at no cost.
Libraries
There is no intervention (or validation) required by Libraries for this agreement. Once an eligible article is identified via the author's affiliation, the author will not be invoiced.
License Participants
Algoma University | Concordia University | Dalhousie University |
Mount Saint Vincent University | Ontatio Tech University | Queen's University |
Université Laval | University of Manitoba | University of Waterloo |
Authors
As of January 1, 2021, corresponding authors affiliated with an institution participating in the CRKN agreement will be able to publish an unlimited number of their articles as open access in SAGE Choice hybrid journals for the duration of the agreement (2021-2026). No article processing charges (APC) fees will be levied for open access publication in eligible hybrid journals. Authors are also eligible to receive a 40% discount on the APC for most gold open access journals.
SAGE Open Access Portal (SOAP) is a centralized portal that automates SAGE's open access publication process. The following steps briefly outline the manuscript submission process. Please consult the user guide which outlines the author’s workflow and the article acceptance process.
- Authors must indicate their institution affiliation upon manuscript submission. Authors are encouraged to also use an email with an institutional domain to facilitate the identification of eligible articles.
- Once an article is accepted, the author will receive an email notification if their article is eligible under the terms of this agreement. For articles accepted in gold open access journals, the APC discount is automatically applied upon acceptance of manuscript.
- Authors can accept or decline to publish their article open access from within the SAGE Open Access Portal (SOAP). If an author declines to publish in open access, their article will be published via the subscription route.
- Authors can also select their copyright license and assign a payer (i.e. funding agency, institution, or a different bill payer), and make the APC payment from within the Portal.
The list of SAGE Choice hybrid journals eligible to have their APC fees waived for open access publication is available here.
The list of gold OA journals eligible to receive the 40% discount on APC fees is available here.
Libraries
Unless the library has requested otherwise, there is no intervention (or validation) required by Libraries for this agreement. Once an eligible article is identified via the author’s affiliation, the applicable discount will automatically be applied before the author is invoiced.
The CRKN-SAGE 2021-2023 agreement is available for download here.
The CRKN-SAGE 2024-2026 agreement is available for download here.
License Participants
Acadia University | Algoma University | Athabasca University |
Bishop's University | Brandon University | Brock University |
Cape Breton University | Carleton University | Concordia University |
Concordia University Of Edmonton | Dalhousie University | École de technologie supérieure |
École nationale d'administration publique | HEC Montréal | Institut national de la recherche scientifique |
Kwantlen Polytechnic University | Lakehead University | Laurentian University |
MacEwan University | McGill University | McMaster University |
Memorial University of Newfoundland | Mount Allison Mount | Mount Royal University |
Mount Saint Vincent University | Nipissing University | OCAD University |
Royal Roads University | Queen's University | Saint Mary's University |
Simon Fraser University | St. Francis Xavier University | Thompson Rivers University |
Toronto Metropolitan University | Trent University | Trinity Western University |
Université de Moncton | Université de Montréal | Université de Sherbrooke |
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi | Université du Québec à Montréal | Université du Québec à Rimouski |
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières | Université du Québec en Outaouais | Université Laval |
Université Sainte Anne | Université TÉLUQ | University of Alberta |
University of British Columbia | University of Calgary | University of Guelph |
University of Lethbridge | University of Manitoba | University of New Brunswick |
University of Northern British Columbia | University of Ontario Institute of Technology | University of Ottawa |
University of Prince Edward Island | University of Regina | University of Saskatchewan |
University of the Fraser Valley | University of Toronto | University of Victoria |
University of Waterloo | University of Windsor | University of Winnipeg |
Vancouver Island University | Western University | Wilfrid Laurier University |
York University | NOSM University |
Authors
As of January 16, 2023, corresponding authors affiliated with an institution participating in the license agreement will be able to publish their articles as open access in all Wiley’s hybrid journals for the duration of the agreement (2023-2024). No article processing charges (APC) fees will be levied for open access publication.
Articles accepted for publication in Wiley’s gold journals are not eligible under this agreement. Authors will continue to be charged APCs for accepted articles in these journals.
Upon article acceptance for publication in a hybrid journal, the corresponding author will begin the Author Services process within the Wiley Open Access Account system. A customized message notifies the author upon login that their accepted article is eligible for open access at no cost (will refer to their institution and CRKN as providers) and the default selection for the author is to publish the article open access at no charge. Authors must identify themselves as affiliated with a participating CRKN institution in order for their article to be verified and approved for no charge OA under the agreement. An autocomplete form will populate with institutional affiliations as the author types, and the institution names are pulled from the Ringgold institutional hierarchy.
Please review the step-by-step guide to open access publishing for authors.
Libraries
CRKN is responsible for validating the eligibility of accepted articles on the Wiley Open Access Account system; for more information, please contact a member of our team at licensing@crkn.ca.
The CRKN-Wiley 2023-2024 agreement is available for download here.
A list of eligible hybrid journals is available for download here.
License Participants
Acadia University | Algoma University | Athabasca University |
Brandon University | Brock University | Cape Breton University |
Capilano University | Carleton University | Concordia University |
Concordia University of Edmonton | Dalhousie University | École de technologie supérieure |
École nationale d'administration publique | École Polytechnique de Montréal | HEC Montréal |
Institut national de la recherche scientifique | Kwantlen Polytechnic University | Lakehead University |
Laurentian University | MacEwan University | McGill University |
McMaster University | Mount Allison University | Mount Royal University |
Mount Saint Vincent University | Nipissing University | NOSM University |
OCAD University | Queen's University | Royal Military College of Canada |
Royal Roads University | Saint Mary's University | Simon Fraser University |
St. Francis Xavier University | Télé-université du Québec | Thompson Rivers University |
Toronto Metropolitan University | Trent University | Trinity Western University |
Université de Moncton | Université de Montréal | Université de Sherbrooke |
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi | Université du Québec à Montréal | Université du Québec à Rimouski |
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières | Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue | Université du Québec en Outaouais |
Université Laval | Université Sainte-Anne | University of Alberta |
University of British Columbia | University of Calgary | University of Guelph |
University of Lethbridge | University of Manitoba | University of New Brunswick |
University of Northern British Columbia | University of Ontario Institute of Technology | University of Ottawa |
University of Prince Edward Island | University of Regina | University of the Fraser Valley |
University of Toronto | University of Victoria | University of Waterloo |
University of Windsor | University of Winnipeg | Vancouver Island University |
Western University | Wilfrid Laurier University | York University |