Effective January 1, 2025, the University of California (UC) and the open access publisher American Society for Microbiology (ASM) entered into a 3-year agreement that provides financial support to UC corresponding authors who publish in ASM’s 6 primary research subscription-based ASM journals. Authors at all ten UC campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) are eligible for this support.

The agreement covers the full amount of the open access publishing fees, also known as article processing charges (APCs), for UC corresponding authors who publish in ASM journals. This agreement has two goals: (1) to support UC’s mission as a public university by making more UC-authored publications open to the world, and (2) to make it easier and more affordable for UC authors to publish open access.

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Agreement Basics

What are the basic terms of the agreement?

The agreement runs from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2027, and enables UC corresponding authors to publish open access in ASM 6 primary research subscription-based journals at no cost to them. For the list of included journals, see “Which ASM journals are included in the agreement?” below.

How does the agreement work?

Funding for open access publishing is included as part of UC’s subscription to ASM journals. The agreement follows the “Subscribe-to-Open” (S2O) model, under which the accessibility of ASM’s previously subscriber-only content depends on continued support from subscribing institutions. ASM establishes a minimum sustainability target each year to fund the journals. If the target is met, that year’s content will be made open access. If the target is not met, the content will remain available only to subscribers. This framework provides ASM a practical path to converting these journals to open access without relying on article processing charges or institutional goodwill.

Impact for Authors

Am I affected by this agreement?

Yes, if you are (1) a UC affiliate (faculty, lecturer, staff, graduate student, etc.) at any of UC’s ten campuses or LBNL, (2) you are the article’s corresponding author, and (3) you choose to publish your article in an ASM journal.

Who is considered a corresponding author?

ASM considers the corresponding author to be the person listed as the contact during the submission/production/publication process, and who is identified as “Author for correspondence” on the final published article.

In general, the corresponding author is the person who oversees the manuscript and correspondence during the publication process — from manuscript corrections and proofreading, to handling the revisions and re-submission of revised manuscripts up to the acceptance of the manuscripts. The corresponding author has the authority to act on behalf of all co-authors in all matters pertaining to publication of the manuscript including supplementary material. The corresponding author acts as the point of contact for any inquiries after the paper is published.

Which articles and types of publications are covered by this agreement?

This agreement covers all articles containing original research that are accepted for publication from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2027.

Which ASM journals are included in this agreement?

The agreement includes ASM’s 6 primary research subscription-based journals, including:

  • Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
  • Applied and Environmental Microbiology
  • Infection and Immunity
  • Journal of Bacteriology
  • Journal of Clinical Microbiology
  • Journal of Virology

Article Payment Process

If I choose to publish open access, how do payments work?

Under the agreement, your APC will be fully and automatically covered by the UC libraries. There is no cost to you.

Upon acceptance and after you indicate your affiliation with UC in the ASM author submission portal, you will see messaging indicating that you are eligible to publish open access with the APC covered under an agreement with UC.

Other than indicating your UC affiliation in ASM’s author submission portal upon acceptance of your article, no action is needed by you as the corresponding author. If you do receive an invoice for the APC, simply reply to the email and reference the UC-ASM open access agreement. You may also contact your campus library or OpenAccessInquiries@ucop.edu for assistance. See “Resources” below for your campus library contact information.

Resources

What if I have questions or need help?

More information is available via:

Or from your campus library:

As this is a pilot agreement, your feedback is appreciated. Please submit any comments or questions to your campus library or to OpenAccessInquiries@ucop.edu.

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