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The majority of BMJ’s hybrid journals have been given Transformative Journal status by cOAlition S

At BMJ we continue to support the transition of publicly-funded research to open access and comply with all funder mandates, such as those from Plan S.

32 BMJ journals have received Transformative Journal (TJ) status by cOAlition S. These journals are committed to the goal of transitioning to fully open research by gradually increasing their open access content in line with the open access growth targets set by cOAlition S.

Access 2023 targets for our TJs and browse the full list of BMJ journals.

“Plan S is committed to ensuring transparent, rapid dissemination and accessibility of research across the world. BMJ's decision to transition the research content in its journals to open access is an important step towards achieving that vision and we look forward to supporting BMJ in this initiative.”
Robert Kiley, cOAlition S

What is a Transformative Journal?

A Transformative Journal (TJ) is a subscription or hybrid journal that is actively committed to transitioning all its research content to open access. TJs proactively promote open access while ensuring that all authors can continue to publish in them, regardless of their funding provision.

Are Transformative Journals Plan S compliant?

TJs are part of a compliance route offered by Coalition S funders. The confirmation of TJ status for the majority of BMJ’s portfolio makes us Plan S compliant, ensuring that we continue to support authors’ needs by complying with all funder mandates.

Where can I find a full list of BMJ's Transformative Journals?

You can find a full list of our Transformative Journals on BMJ’s Author Hub.

What are the main features of a Transformative Journal?

  • Proactively advocate open access benefits to authors throughout their publication journey.

  • Commitment to increase open access uptake and to transition all the research that they publish to open access.

  • Transparent and regular reporting for authors on key metrics such as usage, citations, online engagement of open access content versus subscription content, at the article and journal level. Learn more about article metrics and alerts.

  • Pricing transparency of both the services covered by the Article Processing Charges and any subscription payments, with clarity on how pricing reflects changes in subscription and open access content.

  • Authors continue to have the choice of which publication model to follow based on their funder or institutional requirements.

Where can I find article metrics for a paper that I published with BMJ?

You can find more information on article metrics and setting up alerts on our Author Hub.

What are the latest open access growth targets for each Transformative Journal?

2022’s growth targets for BMJ journals can be found in this report.

How will these changes help authors get published?

As BMJ transitions to open access for research, we continue to support authors by offering multiple options for publication, regardless of their funding situation:

  • Gold open access

    Authors pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) levied upon acceptance, and the article will be available to everyone immediately upon publication.

  • Free publication (not open access)

    Authors do not have to pay to publish, and articles are made available to our subscribers.

  • Open access agreements

    A number of institutions have open access agreements with BMJ which can either cover the whole cost of open access publishing for authors at participating institutions or can allow authors to receive a discount of the Article Processing Charge (APC). Visit BMJ’s open access agreements page to find out whether your institution is a member and what discounts you may be entitled to.

BMJ will also continue to offer waivers and discounts to authors who might not have access to funds to cover their Article Processing Charge (APC). Find out more in the waivers and discounts page on our Author Hub.

Learn more about the benefits of publishing open access and why you should choose open access at BMJ.

“More than ever, researchers and health professionals need reliable information from a trusted source. At BMJ, we create this trust by being transparent and open. We look forward to working with our authors and partners while we help to transition research to open access, with a shared goal of supporting the scientific community to help create a healthier world.”
Claire Rawlinson, Publisher, BMJ

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