Open Access guidelines propose recommendations to improve Open Access to publications in the arts and humanities. The core aim is to bring closer the harmonized but transforming European Open Access policy landscape to the communities around DARIAH and recommend very practical steps to achieve compliance with it.
In September 2019, a project that included funders backing Plan S, the European-led effort to speed the transition to open access, released a set of contract templates and tips meant to help small, independent publishers reach deals with libraries that would eventually eliminate subscriptions while protecting revenue. The project also helped arrange pilots, which may soon be inked, that use the guidance; they will allow researchers served by library consortia to publish an unlimited number of open-access articles in return for a set fee paid to societies.
Even while founding megajournals have lost momentum, others that are more selective or specialized are thriving. Three discipline-focused megajournals have grown rapidly in recent years.
Dominique Babini shares her thoughts on Plan S and its significant differences with the Open Access ecosystem, free of article processing charges (APC), that the Latin American region preserves.
Since 2016, UNESCO annually marks 28 September as the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI). UNESCO will continue to organize a series of ‘Open Talks’ at the global level in Lima, Peru on 27 September 2019, and at the regional level in Toluca, Mexico on 19 and 20 September 2019. The events aim to create worldwide discussion on how to foster open societies, open access to information and sustainable development. Within this context, the event, to be held at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico (UAEMex) in Toluca, will bring together the founders of AmeliCA and recent members, and create an opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved one year after its launch, build a roadmap of activities and projects for 2020 including the strategy by AmeliCA in favor of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In July 2019, Christopher Kenneally spoke with Rob Johnson of Research Consulting during the webinar Plan S Revisions Decoded. They covered all aspects about Plan S: what has changed, what has stayed the same, and what might happen next.
the Association of Learned Professional & Society Publishers (ALPSP), Wellcome and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have appointed Information Power to explore potential strategies and business models learned societies can adopt under Plan S – Society Publishers Accelerating Open Access and Plan S. The final report and toolkit will be launched at the next ALPSP Conference to be held in September 2019. Alicia Wise and Lorraine Estelle discuss some of the initial findings and provide an update from the first phase of the SPA-OPS project.
A group of like-minded individuals from libraries, academic institutions, publishers, and consortia have organized to provide support and advocacy for Learned and Professional Societies called ‘Transitioning Society Publications to Open Access (TSPOA)’. Through consultations, advocacy, and information sharing, this group aims to connect society journal editors and publishers with useful resources related to transitioning society publications to OA.
In the Indian context, Open Access to science has been facilitated by government-funded repositories of student and doctoral theses, and many Indian society journals are published with platinum OA. Indian journals are increasingly available on OA platforms. However, OA in India faces numerous challenges, notably predatory OA journals and the paucity of funds. There is a need to increase awareness amongst Indian academics regarding best publication practices, and how to avoid falling prey to poor quality OA journals.
Plan S will be a focal point for Europe’s research libraries in the coming months as systems and working routines are adjusted to meet the plan’s requirements. LIBER appreciates the latest guidance, which matches LIBER’s strategic goal of making Open Access the main form of scholarly communication by 2020. At the same time, LIBER’ Open Access Working Group recognises the complexities and challenges faced by research libraries to implement publishing or update services to follow Plan S.
