This article was originally published 20 August, 2025 and updated 27 January 2026.
As part of proposals agreed with the University Executive Board to significantly reduce Library spending on resources over a three-year period in response both to financial pressures and ongoing concerns about the sustainability of the commercial scientific publishing model, the library is continuing to review its journal subscriptions. The main focus for the start of 2026 has been on the largest ‘big deals’ (including Sage, Springer Nature, Taylor and Francis, and Wiley) which expired in December 2025. The Library reviews all subscriptions for value for money on an annual basis (visit our ‘purchasing strategies’ web page).
We have subscribed to the deals offered by Sage, SpringerNature, Taylor & Francis, and Wiley. Unfortunately, the Elsevier deal continues to be financially unsustainable and we will not be in a position to subscribe to this deal.
Further information for University of Sheffield staff and students can be found on the Library’s Elsevier page and series of FAQs. Information about ‘big deals’ and the Jisc negotiations can be found on the Challenges in Scholarly Publishing page.