Publisher Wiley-Blackwell, which has its UK headquarters in Cowley, is to allow biotech researchers cheaper access to some of its expensive online journals, normally only held in large academic libraries.

The publisher has launched a pilot program to make a portfolio of biotechnology journals with more than 75,000 articles available through DeepDyve, the largest online rental service for scientific and scholarly research articles.

DeepDyve’s ‘Research, Rent, Read’ model allows researchers working independently, or for small companies or institutions, to discover and read articles from journals on the DeepDyve site at ‘affordable’ prices.

The pilot will feature 26 journals and content dating back to 1912, including the Journal of Pharmaceutical Science, American Journal of Medical Genetics, Biotechnology and Bioengineering and Cell Proliferation.

Vice-president Reed Elfenbein said: “Wiley is exploring new channels and business models for delivering our content, to the widest possible audience.

“DeepDyve’s innovative content rental model enables us to reach researchers who are working outside of academic institutions, and who do not have the resources of institutional libraries to access the latest scientific publications in their fields.

“Partnering with DeepDyve will help us to serve their information needs with flexibility and immediacy, while learning more about them, and the opportunities and challenges presented by this innovative enabling technology.”