Cambridge gives free access to HE textbooks and coronavirus research

Cambridge University Press is offering free online access to higher education textbooks and coronavirus research during the Covid-19 outbreak.

In addition, existing customers are being offered free access to key reference works on request to help them overcome the disruption caused by the global response to the pandemic.

All 700 textbooks published and currently available in HTML format on Cambridge Core – the online home of the Press’s academic books and journals – are available regardless of whether they were previously purchased.

Free access is available until the end of May 2020 and a full list of textbooks published on the platform can be found here. Students in the United States and Canada will also be able to access free e-book versions of Press textbooks through VitalSource.

In addition, existing Cambridge Core customers can request free access to a collection of reference works for libraries during the same period, including all of the Cambridge Histories, Companions and Elements.

The latest moves follow the Press’s announcement that it is providing free access to coronavirus research on Cambridge Core. More than 80 relevant book chapters and journal articles are currently in the collection, with future articles being added once they are published. The Press has also joined other publishers in signing a commitment to make the research available through PubMed Central and other public repositories of journal literature.

Mandy Hill, managing director of academic publishing at the Press, said: 'The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is posing huge challenges for all of us, including teachers, researchers, learners and their institutions. At Cambridge University Press we are committed to supporting all of our customers at this difficult time, whether that’s through free and increased access to the texts they need or by sharing relevant research as widely as possible.'