This episode follows on from yesterday's conversation with Jon and Iva from Project Retain. If you haven't done so yet, we recommend listening to that first: (Episode 111) Project Retain: open access and rights retention policies across EuropeThis time Nick talks to his Library colleagues from the University of Leeds Jane Saunders and Jonathan Horne about rights retention at the University of Leeds, why it's important for academic colleagues and what they need to know.If you're not familiar with some of the jargon around open access, have a look at our Terminology Eplained page on the Library website.Episode highlights:Rights Retention Simplified: Jonathan Horne emphasises the importance of normalising rights retention for researchers, highlighting that it gives authors the ability to retain copyright and make their work openly accessible without extra effort or cost.Changing Publisher Deals: Jane Saunders outlines the ongoing negotiations with the "big five" academic publishers (Elsevier, Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis, Wiley and Sage) as current read-and-publish deals end in 2025. The sector is aiming to shift away from costly per-article models toward more sustainable, supportive approaches to open access.Researcher Advocacy and Support: The University of Leeds is actively working to raise awareness among academic staff about rights retention, providing legal clarity and institutional backing to ensure researchers can comply with open access requirements with confidence.Cultural Shift Toward Openness: TThe episode explores how publishing traditions and academic incentives (like journal impact factors) can undermine open research. Initiatives like the Libraries Open Access Support Fund aims to diversify scholarly publishing and promote a healthier, more equitable research culture.Episode links:N8 Rights Retention StatementNew Publications Policy makes rights retention a mustUniversity of Leeds Publication PolicyWhite Rose Research OnlineA review of transitional agreements in the UK (Jisc report)Jisc publisher negotiations expert groupLean Library Browser Extension

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