How can I check that a journal is compliant with Plan S?

Published on: 19/05/2020 - Updated on: 02/02/2022

Use the Journal Checker Tool: enter the name of your preferred journal, select your institution, choose your funder to see if that journal enables compliance with your funder’s OA policy, and if so, via which route.

Can I comply with Plan S by making my article freely available in my institutional repository? / Does Plan S support the ‘green’ route to OA?

Published on: 19/05/2020 - Updated on: 02/06/2020

Yes. Authors can publish in a subscription journal and make either the final published version (Version of Record, VoR) or the Author’s Accepted Manuscript (AAM) openly available in a repository. For details see Guidance on the Implementation of Plan S. If you are a member of a higher education institution your library may be able to advise.

If a researcher publishes in a subscription journal that allows authors funded by cOAlition S funders to comply using the repository route, but does not allow other authors the same rights, then is that compliant with Plan S?

Published on: 19/05/2020 - Updated on: 02/06/2020

Plan S implementation guidance makes it clear that if a researcher publishes in a subscription journal that is NOT part of a “transformative arrangement”, to comply with Plan S they must make a copy of the article (either the Author’s Accepted Manuscript or the Version of Record) available in a repository at the time of publication (no embargo). If they do this, then that complies with Plan S.

Will journals offering more transparent peer review processes be considered by cOAlition S in any way?

Published on: 19/05/2020 - Updated on: 02/06/2020

In addition to openness of research findings, cOAlition S supports greater transparency in all areas of scholarship. However, its current priority is on increasing open access to scholarly articles. cOAlition S funders may consider inclusion within Plan S of innovative and more transparent models of peer review at a later stage, but this is not currently under discussion.

What sanctions will be put in place if I don’t abide by my funder’s requirements for OA?

Published on: 19/05/2020 - Updated on: 02/06/2020

cOAlition S funders may differ in the sanctions they impose. Please check your funder’s grant conditions.

Is there is a list of journal (families) and/or publishers that are Plan S compliant or have signed a Transformative Agreement?

Published on: 19/05/2020 - Updated on: 12/06/2021

To enable researchers to identify whether a journal is Plan S aligned or not, cOAlition S developed the Journal Checker Tool. Additionally, a list of publishers that have signed a Transformative Agreement is available here.