BTAA Wiley Open Access Agreement

BTAA Renews Open Access Publishing Contract with Wiley (2026-2027)

The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Center for Library Programs has secured an Open Publishing Agreement with Wiley that provides open publishing opportunities for affiliated corresponding authors through December 31, 2027, while maintaining full read access to Wiley’s journal portfolio.

For affiliated corresponding authors, this new agreement provides the ability to publish open access (OA) in Wiley’s hybrid OA journals (“Online Open”) without individual article fees for articles editorially accepted in 2026 and 2027. In addition, there is a limited allocation for publishing in Wiley’s gold OA journals (“Fully Open Access”). Read on for more information on what remains the same and what is changing in the new agreement.

Highlights of the Agreement

Reading access:

• Access to all Wiley journals at all participating campuses
• Perpetual access rights to subscribed content

Publishing Rights: Eligible authors are able to publish their articles without paying Article Processing Charges (APCs) themselves as follows:

• Unlimited Hybrid OA articles ACCEPTED in 2026 and 2027
• Gold OA articles SUBMITTED within the allotment for 2026 and 2027

Publishing Details

What stays the same

If you are an eligible corresponding author at a participating Big Ten institution, you will continue to benefit from unlimited open access publishing for articles accepted in 2026 and 2027 in Wiley’s hybrid OA journals at no cost and full read access to the Wiley journal portfolio. The agreement maintains the Alliance’s “no fees, no caps, no limits” approach for Wiley’s hybrid OA journal articles editorially accepted in 2026 and 2027.

What is changing

With this new agreement, there is a limited allocation for publishing in Wiley’s gold OA journals. Articles submitted to Wiley’s gold OA journals within the allotment for 2026 and 2027 are guaranteed to be covered under the central contract with the Big Ten Academic Alliance; after allotment is exhausted, authors will begin to see Article Processing Charges (APC fees) that need to be paid from other sources, which could include granting agencies, the author, or their local institution.

What this means for your publishing decisions

Authors should plan ahead when considering publishing in Wiley journals. For Wiley’s hybrid OA journals, you should carefully consider the average time to publication to try to ensure your article is accepted and the author agreement is completed by the December 31, 2027, deadline.  Wiley’s gold OA journal articles will need to be submitted within the allotment for 2026 and 2027 to be covered by this agreement.

Why is this change needed?

The extension of the Wiley agreement ensures continuity for authors and institutions across the Big Ten Academic Alliance, maintains publishing eligibility and access, and provides clarity for affiliated authors as they plan future publications. At the same time, this change reflects broader challenges and pressures in research publishing. Against this backdrop, the Alliance remains committed to supporting open access as a model that recognizes both the real costs of publishing and the importance of making scholarly work widely and fairly available as a public good.

Agreement Timeline

The new agreement is in effect through December 31, 2027.