Tangled Terms: How We Talk About Transformative Agreements

Transformative agreements (TAs) are a relatively new type of journal package that typically includes both access to the publisher’s paywalled content and coverage of the open access (OA) publishing fees for an institution’s authors. As many libraries have entered into these agreements in recent years, analyses of their “value” are increasingly being presented at conferences and in the literature. However, these assessments often reveal inconsistencies in how TAs are defined. The term “transformative agreement” is broad, encompassing considerable complexity and diversity in terms and requirements. It is important that we have a clear understanding of what is being assessed. Additionally, we must critically engage with the language that publishers use surrounding TAs, not simply adopt or amplify their terms by framing results of these agreements as “cost savings.”