How open access agreements are transforming hospital research in Victoria

Australian hospital clinicians and researchers have faced a publishing disadvantage. While university affiliated researchers have benefited from national "read and publish" agreements that allow them to publish open access without paying author-facing article processing charges (APCs), many hospital-employed authors have been excluded from these arrangements. As a result, clinicians working in health services have often had to find departmental funding, pay publication costs themselves, rely on university co-authors, or publish behind paywalls.

Open access publishing increases the visibility, reach and use of research. When research is freely available, clinicians, policy makers and patients can access evidence without subscription barriers. Recognising this gap, the Victorian Health Library Consortium (VHLC) introduced Australia's first open access publishing agreements specifically designed for public hospital employees in 2025. The results from the first year suggest that even relatively small investments can have a significant impact.

A collaborative solution

The VHLC is a network of health libraries representing metropolitan, regional and rural health services, along with specialist medical and nursing colleges across Victoria. While libraries are traditionally associated with providing access to information, they are increasingly playing a role in supporting research creation as well. The consortium negotiated agreements with four major publishers to enable eligible hospital-employed authors to publish open access without paying APCs for 2025.

In their first year, the agreements centrally supported 57 open access publications, generating an estimated A$345,793.75 saving in author-facing publication fees.

For hospital-based researchers, the value extends beyond simple cost savings. The removal of author-facing APCs means authors can focus on publishing in journals that are most appropriate for their work rather than limiting their choices based on affordability. It is acknowledged, however, that this may have the unintended effect of authors favouring journals with an existing agreement. It also means public health services are not diverting scarce resources toward publication costs, as VHLC libraries have negotiated agreements that incorporate publishing costs into their existing subscription fees. While this new agreement removes the burden of additional APC payments, most importantly, it promotes greater equity between hospital-based researchers and their university counterparts. 

Research that matters

The publications supported through the agreements appeared across a range of journals, with most published in high-ranking Q1 titles. Early indicators suggest the research is reaching its intended audience. Collectively, the 57 papers have already attracted 55 citations.

Citations and journal rankings are important measures of reach, but they do not capture the full impact of research. Many of the papers supported through the agreements addressed issues directly affecting Victorian health services and the patients they serve. When mapped against the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan, the research aligned with priorities including improving wellbeing across the lifespan, strengthening sexual and reproductive health, addressing the health impacts of climate change, and tackling antimicrobial resistance. These are not niche academic topics; these are some of the major challenges facing health systems globally. 

For health service leaders and policy makers, this alignment highlights an important point, that open access publishing is not simply an optional library initiative. It is a mechanism for ensuring that clinically relevant research can be discovered, read and applied by those responsible for delivering and improving care.

A global footprint from local health services

Victoria may be one state, but the collaboration of the research enabled through these agreements has been international. Authors publishing under the agreements collaborated with researchers from countries including Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

This collaboration demonstrates that impactful research is not confined to universities or large research institutes. Health services across metropolitan, regional and rural Victoria are making meaningful contributions to the global evidence base. 

The agreements have helped ensure that those contributions are more visible. They have also highlighted the growing role of health libraries as active participants in the research ecosystem.

Looking ahead

The first year of the VHLC agreements demonstrates that relatively modest initiatives can generate substantial returns. Increased visibility of research, stronger equity for hospital-employed authors and significant cost avoidance have all been achieved within a single year.

The consortium is now working to expand its portfolio of agreements and engage additional publishers, creating more opportunities for Victorian health researchers to publish openly.

As health systems place increasing emphasis on evidence-based practice, research translation and measurable impact, ensuring that research is accessible to those who need it becomes increasingly important.

The success of the VHLC initiative suggests that hospital and college libraries can play a powerful role in advancing that goal. 

Cassandra Gorton is a health librarian, the Manager - Access & Discovery at Monash Health, the chair of the Victorian Health Libraries Consortium, and the treasurer of Health Libraries Inc.

Gemma Siemensma is a health librarian, the Library Manager at Grampians Health, a member of the Victorian Health Libraries Consortium, and the convenor of ALIA Health Libraries Australia.

John Prentice is a health librarian, the Library Manager at the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) and the secretary of the Victorian Health Libraries Consortium. 

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article.