Category Archives: oa.science_europe

The OA Diamond Journals Study – Science Europe

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“Science Europe and cOAlition S publish an in-depth report and recommendations arising from a study of community-driven Open Access journals across the world that are free for readers and authors, usually referred to as ‘OA diamond journals’.

The study examines the areas that are critical for OA diamond journals, from legal structures and governance to technical capabilities, editorial processes, and funding models. The recommendations made in the report are designed to help research funding organisations, institutions, scholarly societies, and infrastructures sustainably strengthen OA diamond journals in the context of Open Science.

The study was commissioned by cOAlition S and funded by Science Europe in order to gain a better understanding of the OA diamond landscape. It is the culmination of work undertaken from June 2020 to February 2021 by a consortium of 10 organisations: OPERAS, SPARC Europe, Utrecht University, DOAJ, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, LIBER, OASPA, ENRESSH, Redalyc-AmeliCA, CSI.”

Action Plan for Diamond Open Access | Zenodo

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“Science Europe, cOAlition S, OPERAS, and the French National Research Agency (ANR) present an Action Plan for Diamond Open Access to further develop and expand a sustainable, community-driven Diamond OA scholarly communication ecosystem. It focuses on efficiency, quality standards, capacity building, and sustainability, and it addresses the alignment and development of common resources for the whole Diamond OA ecosystem, including journals and platforms, while respecting the cultural, multilingual, and disciplinary diversity that constitutes the strength of the sector. The Action Plan intends to create an inclusive worldwide community that has the tools to strengthen existing Diamond OA journals and platforms and increase their visibility.”

Action Plan for Diamond Open Access | Science Europe

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Ancion, Zoé, Borrell-Damián, Lidia, Mounier, Pierre, Rooryck, Johan, & Saenen, Bregt. (2022). Action Plan for Diamond Open Access. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6282403

Science Europe, cOAlition S, OPERAS, and the French National Research Agency (ANR) present this Action Plan to further develop and expand a sustainable, community-driven Diamond OA scholarly communication ecosystem.

It proposes to align and develop common resources for the entire Diamond OA ecosystem, including journals and platforms, while respecting the cultural, multilingual, and disciplinary diversity that constitutes the strength of the sector.

Funder groups announce push to strengthen ‘diamond’ open access – Research Professional News

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“Two associations of major, mainly European research funders have announced an initiative to provide worldwide support for the ‘diamond’ open-access publishing model, through measures such as coordinating funding and providing training for editors….

The model is seen by advocates as a way for academia to retain or regain greater control over scholarly publishing, because many diamond platforms are run by academics or scholarly societies using volunteers and institutional resources.

 

At the Open Science European Conference on 4 February, representatives of Science Europe, an association of research funders and performers, and Coalition S, the partially overlapping group of funders behind the Plan S open-access movement, announced a joint initiative to develop an action plan for diamond open access….”

The OA Diamond Journals Study

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“We are delighted to present the results of the study commissioned last year by cOAlition S, with financial support from Science Europe, to provide an analysis and overview of collaborative, community-driven open access journals and platforms (aka “OA diamond”). The main objectives of the study were to provide an analysis of the global landscape of OA diamond journals and platforms, identify their current funding models and their technical and organisational challenges, and examine the potential for collaboration and shared services. In addition, we asked for an action plan and recommendations to bolster and co-finance this crucial part of the academic publishing landscape.

The study presented today reveals a vast archipelago of OA diamond journals that was previously obscured by discussions mainly focused on the transformation of commercial models for academic publishing. The rich landscape that heaves into view shows, for the first time, to what extent the diamond publishing model serves the academic community through its variety of scholarly disciplines, languages, and cultures. To a large extent, the study uncovers the full dimension of an important part of the world of scholarly dissemination that is as old as science itself: the scientific community assessing scientific quality and managing scholarly communication on its own.

Moreover, the study shows that the collaborative, community-driven publishing model needs to be more efficiently organised, coordinated and funded to better support researchers in disseminating their work. These elements are essential for this type of publishing to be sustainable in the long term, and to reveal its full potential in the context of open science. We hope that the study will initiate a community-wide discussion leading to concrete steps for consolidating this vital infrastructure.

We would like to thank the consortium of 10 organisations (OPERAS , Sparc Europe , Utrecht University , DOAJ , UiT The Arctic University of Norway , LIBER , OASPA , ENRESSH , Redalyc-AmeliCA , CSI ) that conducted this study, and particularly the authors of the reports.”

Workshop: Diamond Open Access – Science Europe

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This workshop follows earlier work done on the topic of Diamond Open Access, which resulted in the March 2021 Open Access Diamond Journals Study. Following the publication of this study, Science Europe is organising in collaboration with cOAlition S, OPERAS and the French National Research Agency (ANR) a workshop to discuss best practices and further develop the central elements of Diamond Open Access.

The workshop will take place online on Wednesday 2 February 2022, from 13.00 to 18.30 CET and will be followed by a social meeting for participants on gather.town. Participation in the workshop is by invitation only.

Report of the 2021 High Level Workshop on ERA: Research Culture in the ERA

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The 2021 High Level Workshop on the European Research Area dealt with the topic of research culture and how to keep the research sector attractive for current and future generations of researchers.

The research system faces several challenges when it comes to attractiveness, including precarious career paths, a narrow and ineffective reward and incentive system, and a continued lack of diversity throughout the research environment.

The workshop focused on the influence of culture on how research is conceived, conducted, communicated, and assessed, with the goal to understand the views of different actors in the ERA and to pursue alignment on fundamental aspects of research culture. This, in turn, can help to identify actions that can make the ERA a more attractive place for researchers.

RESEARCH CULTURE: Empowering researchers with a thriving research system integrated in society

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“Research systems now generate knowledge faster than ever before, and fundamental research problems and societal challenges are becoming increasingly complex, putting greater demand on the skills and competencies of the research community as well as the infrastructure and organisations that support them. In parallel to these increasing demands, research communities and systems are faced with challenges that threaten both sectoral attractiveness and sustainability, including precarious career paths, a narrow and ineffective rewards and incentives system, delays in achieving openness, and a continued lack of diversity throughout the research environment….

To move forward on Science Europe’s priority to ‘contribute to the evolution of research culture’, the following commitments are made. Science Europe: … Commits to creating an open values framework that underpins this vision for research culture, and will promote alignment on actions required to embed those values. This value framework will be consistently refined through consultation and collaboration with expert groups as well as representatives from all relevant research stakeholder groups, and will be a reference for policy and practice development.”

ERA Portal Austria – Science Europe publishes reaction to Pact for Research and Innovation

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On 23 July 2021, Science Europe published a reaction to the Commission Proposal for a Council Recommendation on a Pact for Research and Innovation. The organsiation of 38 European public research funders and performers welcomes the inclusion of a common set of values and principles in the EC’s proposals that it also shares, as well as the Pact’s emphasis on research and scientific knowledge. Science Europe supports the reaffirmation of the investment target of 3% of EU GDP dedicated to research and development, as well as the new 1.25% EU GDP public effort target to be achieved by Member States by 2030. It also advocates for a systematic inclusion of stakeholders. The Pact must be implemented in a relevant way for the research activity in the ERA, meaningfully involving research communities and R&I stakeholders in the development and implementation of ERA policies, Science Europe says. Last but not least, Science Europe welcomes the emphasis on global outreach and cooperation with third countries and calls for the countries associated to the EU Framework Programmes, in particular the UK and Switzerland, to be included in ERA’s development process.

All publishers must provide researchers with clarity and transparency on Open Access – CESAER

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“On 25 May 2021, more than 880 universities and research-performing and research-funding organisations united within CESAER, EUA and Science Europe call on all publishers to stop requiring researchers to sign over their rights and to end the use of restrictions and embargoes. The joint statement, signed by the presidents of the three organisations, is a strong show of support for Open Science and Open Access.

The statement expresses deep concern regarding the unclear practices of some publishers, in particular the examples recently reported by cOAlition S, that complicate and confuse matters for researchers. The organisations urge publishers to reconsider their position and modernise their approaches in a way that fully respects researchers’ rights, including sharing their peer-reviewed research findings without restrictions or embargoes.

Notably, the statement declares that researchers who wish to deposit their author-accepted manuscript in a repository with an open license (e.g. CC BY), and without any embargo, must be able to do so.

Currently, publishers commonly require authors to sign exclusive publishing agreements that restrict what authors can do with their research findings. The statement urges this outdated system to be replaced and supports a diversity of models for the open dissemination of research for the greater benefit of society….”

Science Europe Vacancy: Communications Manager

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“Science Europe is looking for a highly motivated individual to take responsibility of its communications. The role aims to create, implement, and oversee communications activities, both internal and external, that effectively promote the mission, vision, values and work of the organisation [which includes open access and Plan S].”

Practical Guide to Sustainable Research Data – Science Europe

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“This Practical Guide provides guidance to ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of research data, and supports organisations to provide a framework in which researchers can share their output in a sustainable way.

It includes three complementary maturity matrices for funders, performers, and data infrastructures. These allow them to evaluate the current status of their policies and practices, and to identify next steps towards sustainable data sharing and seeking alignment with other organisations in doing so….”

All publishers must fully respect researchers’ rights by providing clarity and transparency on Open Access

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“We are especially concerned by the unclear and opaque communication and practices of some publishers as reported by cOAlition S. Such an approach complicates and confuses matters for researchers, impeding progress towards a scholarly communication system based on Open Access to research outputs. We urge those publishers to reconsider their position and modernise, ensuring they play their part in providing fair and transparent conditions for authors. These should fully respect researchers’ rights, including the right to share their peer-reviewed research findings without restrictions or embargoes. If a publisher or platform chooses to take the stance of requiring authors to sign away their rights, they should clearly and publicly state this to ensure that researchers make informed choices. More broadly, the standard position of platforms and publishers should be to empower researchers to publish their findings (including data and digital assets) while retaining their rights. Researchers who wish to deposit their author-accepted manuscript in a repository with an open license (e.g. CC BY), and without any embargo, must be able to do so….”

Open Access Monitoring: Guidelines and Recommendations for Research Organisations and Funders

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This briefing paper aims to support decision makers at research organisations and research funders to develop new monitoring exercises or assess and improve existing processes to measure the Open Access status of publications.

The availability of data and information on the current state of scholarly publishing is invaluable to help advance Open Access. Given the complexity of the scholarly publishing system, this involves a multitude of decisions.

This briefing paper provides recommendations on the three main questions an organisation should answer to develop a monitoring exercise: Why, What, and How?

Examples of different monitoring exercises have been selected to represent different use cases, organisational setups, data sources, and strategies of interpretation.

Joint Position Statement on “Data Repository Selection – Criteria That Matter” | Zenodo

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Abstract:  Over the past three years, “Data Repository Selection-Criteria That Matter” – “a set of criteria for the identification and selection of those data repositories that accept research data submissions” – were developed by a group of publishers facilitated by the FAIRsharing initiative. Throughout this time, a large number of organizations and individuals have formulated responses and expressed concern about the criteria and the process through which the criteria were developed. Collectively, our organizations consider that the “Data Repository: Selection Criteria that Matter” recommendations – as currently conceived – will act as an impediment to achieving these aims. As such, we are issuing this Joint Position Statement to highlight the community’s concerns and request that the authors of these criteria respond with specific actions.