Glossary
Transformative agreement
Also called read-and-publish, a transformative agreement lets affiliated authors publish open access without paying an individual charge, because the institution has already paid. It is the main reason a European or North American author often never encounters an APC.
Reviewed 1 August 2026
In practice
Why it matters to authors elsewhere
These agreements concentrate in wealthy countries. Where they exist, the charge disappears entirely. Where they do not, the same charge falls on the individual. Waivers are the mechanism that partly fills that gap.
It follows the institution, not the country
Eligibility depends on your affiliation being covered by an agreement, which is a different test from any country list.
Common misconceptions
An agreement covering your publisher does not automatically cover every journal in its portfolio.