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Discontinuation of Elsevier journal access for 2019 articles

  • MacKenzie Smith
  • July 10, 2019
TO:       UC Davis Academic Community
FROM:  MacKenzie Smith, University Librarian and Vice Provost of Digital Scholarship
Dennis J. Ventry, Jr., Professor of Law and Vice Chair, Academic Senate University Committee on Library and Scholarly Communication
RE:        Discontinuation of Elsevier journal access for 2019 articles

The University of California has been out of contract with Elsevier since January. Until now, the publisher continued to allow access to 2019 articles via ScienceDirect. As of today, Wednesday, July 10, UC’s direct access to these Elsevier articles is being discontinued.

What is affected: Members of the UC community no longer have direct access to:

What is not affected: Articles published before 2019 in the vast majority of journals used by UC scholars should continue to be available via ScienceDirect.

Please note that the process for discontinuing access is complex, so access to specific journals or articles may fluctuate until Elsevier’s rollout of these changes is complete.

The systemwide faculty Senate has encouraged stakeholders across UC to use alternative access methods or contact their campus library for assistance in obtaining articles, and to refrain from any new independent subscriptions to Elsevier journals at this time. “By ‘holding the line,’” the Senate leadership writes, “the UC can help change the system of scholarly communication for the betterment of all.”

How to get the articles you need

For Elsevier articles no longer accessible on ScienceDirect, information is available on the library’s UC/Elsevier webpage and summarized below. There are several options — plus, the library is always here to help.

  • Use tools like Google Scholar, Unpaywall and Open Access Button to quickly find open access copies, when available.
  • Email the corresponding author listed in the abstract to request a copy.
  • Use the interlibrary loan request form (for URGENT requests, please use the Note field to ask for an expedited copy). The library has implemented new, faster systems to support interlibrary loan on evenings and weekends, and to deliver requested articles within one business day, or even within a few hours.
  • Contact our Interlibrary Loan staff at hslborrow@ucdavis.edu or 530-752-1978 so we can best meet your needs.

What happens next?

We will be carefully evaluating the impact of losing access to new articles on ScienceDirect over the coming months, and will do our best to ensure that you have access to the articles you need. Meanwhile, UC is hoping to reenter formal negotiations with Elsevier if the publisher indicates that they are willing to discuss a contract that integrates our goals of containing costs and facilitating open access to UC research.

If you have any questions or need help accessing an article, please don’t hesitate to contact the library at any time.

MacKenzie Smith, University Librarian and Vice Provost of Digital Scholarship

Dennis J. Ventry, Jr., Professor of Law and Vice Chair, Academic Senate University Committee on Library and Scholarly Communication

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