University of Manchester spends more on journal subscriptions than any other institution in UK

The University of Manchester spent more on academic journal subscriptions than any other institution in the UK last year.

Data obtained by the M.E.N. reveals that the university spent nearly £3m on subscriptions to seven of the largest academic publishers in 2014.

University chiefs admit the cost of journal subscriptions is ‘too expensive’ but say it is necessary if they are to compete in their research fields.

A spokesman said: “The University of Manchester is the largest campus university in the UK and providing staff and students with free access to academic journals is essential if we are to maintain our competitive research capability.

“Indeed, reducing or losing access to these journals would likely have a knock-on effect on our ability to attract research funding.

“The prices charged by scholarly publishers are linked to institutional size and their historic spending in a previously print-led world and are far too expensive.

“All research-intensive universities are affected by the pricing policies of the large scientific publishers and the issue has sparked international criticism from the higher-education sector.

The amount the university has been spending on academic journals has risen over the past five years.

In 2010, the university spent £2.58m ensuring its students were able to access the publications, meaning the cost has since gone up by 15.1 per - roughly in line with inflation.

Over the past five years, keeping these journals available to its students has cost the university £13.9m.

By contrast, Manchester Metropolitan University’s bill has shrunk by a third, from £550,000 to £369,000 between 2010 and 2014.

However Other Russell Group institutions - an association of 24 public research universities - have seen their bills rise by similar amounts.

More than half of Manchester’s subscription fees went to one publisher, Elsevier.

The university paid the Dutch company £1.54m in 2014.

Elsevier publishes the prestigious medical journal The Lancet and also the biological periodical Cell.

University bosses said a new model of academic publishing was necessary in the future.

A University of Manchester spokesman added: “The solution is seen to be in the development of a new model of academic publishing through the creation of an international Open Access environment where journal articles reporting on research largely funded by the taxpayer become available to all, free at point of use.”