This week, we learn about the Towards Responsible Publishing proposal from cOAlition S. We read different viewpoints on open access in China, and we share an open science round-up by the International Science Council. We also read about the paradoxical consequences of Sci-Hub for genuine open access, about the benefits and challenges of open access publishing for different stakeholders and about Erasmus University Rotterdam’s new open science partnerships. Finally, we share news about OxFOS 2024, highlight an upcoming OASPA webinar and share our new open access objection handler resource.
To read:
Towards Responsible Publishing via cOAlition S | 5-minute read
Five years on from the announcement of the Plan S Principles for open access, cOAlition S – an international consortium of research funding organizations supported by the European Commission and European Research Council – is seeking input from the global research community on its new open science proposal, Towards Responsible Publishing. Aimed at establishing a community-based scholarly communication system for the 21st century, the proposal consists of an overarching vision, a set of principles that the communication system should aspire to and a mission statement to help research funders enact such as system. Read more about the proposal in this blog post by Bodo Stern (Chief of Strategic Initiatives at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute) and Johan Rooryck (Executive Director of cOAlition S).
Commitment to open science in China via HighWire Press | 5-minute read
China has the highest scientific research output in the world and was responsible for nearly a quarter of all scientific papers published between 2018 and 2020. Despite this, a much smaller proportion of Chinese publications are open access compared to those from the rest of the world (35% vs 44%). This blog post by Tony Alves (Senior Vice President of Product Management at HighWire Press) distils the somewhat disparate opinions of two experts in the field of Chinese Open Access, Nicko Goncharoff (Managing Director of Osmanthus Consulting) and Lei Shi (Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tsinghua University Press). While Nicko argues that open access uptake in China is slowing and that China holds a “tentative view” of open access, Lei paints a more growth-oriented picture.
An October open science round-up via International Science Council | 10-minute read
Read this International Science Council round-up of open science news and events from October! This includes a look back at last week’s International Open Access Week, a new Open Science Indicator from PLOS and open science investments in Ireland. The round-up also looks ahead to open science events and opportunities in November and December.
The adverse effects of pirate libraries on open access via London School of Economics | 5-minute read
Paywall-restricted articles inhibit access to research by some audiences, which can lead to the use of pirate libraries like Sci-Hub. While these pirate libraries emerged to bypass paywalls and allow access to previously restricted research, they may have paradoxical and unintended consequences for genuine open access. This blog post discusses the findings of a recent study that looked at the impact of Sci-Hub on the open access citation advantage, and the impact this has on author incentives to publish open access.
The benefits and challenges of open access via European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing | 10-minute read
Published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, this article discusses the benefits and challenges of open access from a variety of stakeholder perspectives, including readers, authors, funders, publishers and universities.
Erasmus University Rotterdam and the OSF via Center for Open Science | 2-minute read
In 2022, Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) became an Open Science Framework (OSF) Institutions member and partnered with the Center for Open Science (COS) to improve research transparency and scientific rigour at the institution. This article discusses how the partnership between EUR, OSF and COS has led to the establishment of many open science initiatives, such as the Open Science Community Rotterdam and the Engaged Research in Open and Responsible Science campaign.
To engage with:
OxFOS 2024: save the date and call for submissions via University of Oxford
The Oxford Forum of Open Scholarship (OxFOS) returns for 2024! Make sure to save the date for OxFOS 2024, which will take place between 4 and 15 March 2024. The OxFOS organization committee is also inviting submissions for a variety of events throughout the fortnight, such as panel debates, paper discussions and talks. You can submit your ideas and find out more about the themes of the 2024 forum here. The call for submissions closes on 13 November 2023.
The funder perspective on open access: an OASPA webinar via OASPA
Join the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA) on 15 November 2023 for a webinar presenting the funder perspective on open access after the cOAlition S transition period on transformative agreements ends. Chaired by Jeroen Sondervan (Programme Leader of Open Scholarly Communication Open Science at the Dutch Research Council), the webinar will feature discussions by Katharina Rieck (Open Science Manager at the Austrian Science Fund), Ross Mounce (Director of Open Access Programmes at the Arcadia Fund), Ashley Farley (Associate Officer of Knowledge and Research Services at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and Faranah Osman (Executive Director at South Africa’s National Research Foundation). The webinar is free but requires registration to attend.
Open Pharma open access objection handler via Open Pharma
Do you have questions about how open access works? Do you have doubts about the benefits of open access publishing? Our open access objection handler is a living resource designed to help support conversations with key stakeholders in open access. Areas of focus include the quality, usage and impact of open access versus non-open access publications, author choice and copyright. You can find and download the objection handler by clicking on the ‘Educational materials’ tab on the page linked in the title. Check it out!
Enjoy reading our content? Then make sure to follow us on Twitter/X and LinkedIn for regular updates!
