University of California and NPG work to resolve differences

Nature Publishing Group (NPG) and the University of California have agreed to work together to resolve the stand-off over journal pricing.

Earlier this year the University of California sent a letter to all faculty members saying it was considering ceasing subscriptions to all NPG journals in protest at price rises. It also urged faculty to stop submitting papers to NPG journals and to stop carrying out peer review and other editorial functions.

In an effort to avoid this, a recent statement from the university and the publisher said: 'Our two organizations have agreed to work together in the coming months to address our mutual short- and long-term challenges, including an exploration of potential new approaches and evolving publishing models. We look forward to a successful planning and experimentation process that results in mutual agreement that serves all stakeholder groups - NPG, the UC libraries, and the scholar community - thus avoiding the need for the boycott that had been discussed at an earlier stage.'

The statement did not include details of how the stand off might be resolved.