Post Termination Policy
This page summarizes the options available to ScienceDirect online customers that decide not to renew their electronic subscriptions to particular journals, Book Series or Handbook series1, Reference Works, eBooks, or their entire ScienceDirect contract.
The Principles
Journals / Book Series / Handbook series
Customers that have been licensed access to a journal or book series or handbook series on ScienceDirect are entitled to access in perpetuity the content of that journal or book series or handbook series for every year for which the customer paid a full electronic subscription.
How Do Customers Retain Access to Titles where Subscriptions Ceased?
Journals / Book Series / Handbook series
A customer that does not maintain an electronic subscription to a particular journal or book series or handbook series, but nonetheless remains a licensed ScienceDirect customer, retains online access to the lapsed journal or book series or handbook series for the years for which the customer paid a subscription at no extra charge.
Elsevier Reference Works / eBooks (one-time payment option)
A customer that purchases access to reference works and/or eBooks via the one-time payment option, retains online access to the work as long as the customer remains a licensed ScienceDirect customer.
Elsevier Reference Works (subscription option)
Customers who cease their subscription to reference works are granted two access options, provided that they have had an electronic subscription to the reference work for a minimum of three (3) years prior to termination.
(1) Receive a copy of the subscribed content formatted in SGML/XML and/or PDF on DVD, CD, USB and FTP. which may be mounted locally.
Charge: A one-off flat fee to cover processing costs.
(2) Receive a bound print copy of the most recent version of the work for a discounted fee of 80% of the value of the then current list price
Customers may select either or both options.
How Can Customers Continue Access to Titles After a ScienceDirect Contract Has Terminated?
Journals / Book Series / Handbook series / Reference Works / eBooks (one-time payment)
Customers of journals and book series / handbook series and those who have purchased reference works and/or eBooks are granted two post-termination access options:
(1) Receive a copy of the subscribed content formatted in SGML/XML and/or PDF on DVD, CD, USB and FTP, which may be mounted locally.
Charge: A one-off flat fee to cover processing costs.
(2) Access a copy of the subscribed content online.
Charge: A continued access fee is calculated on the number of full text article downloads in the preceding 12 months (US$0.081; Euros 0.063; Yen 9.04 per download) with a minimum annual fee of US$ 500 | Euros 400 | Yen 45,000] for Academic and Government institutes and an annual platform fee for Corporate institutes (adjusted annually for inflation and cost increases). This count excludes all downloads that may have come from access to non-subscribed content in the Freedom Collection, Subject Collections, or UTL list.
Elsevier Reference Works (subscription option) Customers of reference works are granted two post-termination access options, provided that they have had an electronic subscription to the reference work for a minimum of three (3) years prior to termination.
(1) Receive a copy of the subscribed content formatted in SGML/XML and/or PDF on DVD, CD, USB and FTP, which may be mounted locally.
Charge: A one-off flat fee to cover processing costs.
(2) Receive a bound print copy of the most recent version of the work for a discounted fee of 80% of the value of the then current list price
Customers may elect either, or both options.
Archives and Archiving
We try not to use the terms archives and archiving in this context as they can give rise to confusion. Archiving is making sure that Elsevier’s digital material is available to the scholarly world in the centuries to come, and sooner in the case of a fire/flood/bomb type of disaster. Archiving is what is covered by Elsevier’s agreement with the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (Royal Dutch Library), which has agreed to cooperate in opening this archive to our customers in the event that their ScienceDirect subscriptions are no longer available from Elsevier or any other vendor. We have a similar arrangement with Portico, an independent not-for-profit archiving organization based in the U.S. In the case of Portico, in addition to being an archive, we have authorized them to provide post-termination access for former ScienceDirect customers.
1
The Handbook Series electronic rights have been simplified and aligned to Book Series as of September 1st 2009. For older contracts and complete accuracy – please check the Terms and Conditions in the contractual agreement.
FAQs
Why do we charge at all? Because all of the options cost money to implement. If there was no charge then Elsevier’s current customers would be subsidizing former customers and this is unfair.
How is the charge calculated? To recover the real costs of providing the service. The full text article download charge contributes fairly and proportionately to the cost of maintaining the ScienceDirect system and account.
Why is there a full text article download charge in the online option? Because use of the online system costs Elsevier money and these costs have to be spread across all customers on a fair and equitable basis.
Why should I pay more and keep on paying for what I have already bought? You aren’t. The usage rights you paid for under your ScienceDirect contract continue after the subscription or even the entire contract has been terminated. What you are paying for is the means of delivering the subscribed content to you, and if you choose the local onsite option rather than the online option, you will still be faced with the expense of establishing, managing and developing your own delivery system.
Will I benefit from ScienceDirect technological developments if I retain post-termination access? There is no guarantee that you will be able to access every new feature and function associated with the online version available to then current ScienceDirect customers (though this is likely to be the case), but we will provide the content of the subscribed titles.
Will I have access to SD resources for which no charge is normally made? Yes.
What usage report will give me an indication of how much the variable amount will be next year?
The sum of the indicators "Regular subscribed all material" and “Backfiles (pre-1995 published)” in customer report "4e. Document usage by entitlement" gives the number of downloads on which the variable amount will be based. Please note: if you had access to content in the previous 12 months of the contract that is not covered under the post-cancellation SD access (e.g., reference works), then this number will be higher than the actual number for which usage will be actually charged.
