Plan S has fundamentally re-shaped academic publishing as we emerge from the pandemic it should not return to how it was before.

Taking stock of what Plan S – a funder led initiative to deliver widespread open access to research – has achieved since its conception and launch in 2018, Rachael Pells and Robert-Jan Smits discuss their new book “Plan S for Shock”. In making the case for Plan S and open access more broadly, they argue that crises, such as the Coronavirus pandemic, demonstrate the necessity of openness to addressing global challenges.