Open Science

Your guide to Open Access publishing and Open Science

Category: Open Access Implementation
Shirin Wheeler and Wolfgang Petzold, Media Programme, EU Regional Policy and Challenges Ahead Milan, EU Open Days 2014, Belgium, Brussels, October 6, 2014 | © Courtesy of EU(UE)/OPEN DAYS/Flickr.

Multiple Approaches to Open Access as it Gathers Supporters Remain to be Explored by its Funders and Stakeholders

Whereas Open Access initiatives, such as the cOAlition or Plan S, seem to be receiving a growing amount of Europe-wide support, the details of their implementation, such as the agreed-upon mechanisms for setting the levels of article processing charges, are yet to be fully spelled out. A Blog Article by Pablo Markin. Though supported by the European Commission, European Research Council and 11 European science funding bodies, the cOAlition or Plan S, announced in early September 2018, may be more ambitious that appears at the first sight, as it seeks to limit the publication of research results to Open Access […]

Library of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, June 22, 2017 | © Courtesy of Haitong Yu/Flickr.

China Mandates Open Access, Promotes Institutional Repositories and Demonstrates Commitment to Open Science

The long-standing commitment of Chinese scientific institutions to Open Access receives a confirmation in its Open Science mandates for the unrestricted sharing of scientific data and findings. A Blog Article by Pablo Markin. In October, 2017, leading scientific institutions of China, such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China’s National Science Library and National Science and Technology Library, have affirmed the importance of Open Access for scientific research and communication, while joining the global OA2020 initiative that aims to accelerate the transition to Open Access around the world. In doing so, these Chinese institutions have joined over 100 other […]

OpenTechSummit Berlin 2015, Berlin, Germany, May 14, 2015 © Courtesy of OpenTech Summit/Flickr.

ResearchGate’s Role in Open Access and Open Science Promotion Leads to Cooperation Deals with Publishers

As digital portals become increasingly central to the communication and sharing of scientific findings, some global publishers recognize that their presence on the corresponding platforms, such as ResearchGate, involves both risks and opportunities. A Blog Article by Pablo Markin. According to a press release published on April 19, 2018, ResearchGate has entered into an agreement with Springer Nature, Cambridge University Press and Thieme providing a framework for their collaboration in relation to its article sharing practices. Previously, multiple journal and book publishers, such as Elsevier, Wiley, Brill and Wolters Kluwer, had sought legal action against ResearchGate, were issuing it article […]

Back View of University Main Building, University of Bern, Bern, Canton of Berne, Switzerland, June 23, 2012 © Courtesy of Guido Gloor Modjib/Flickr.

Policy-Making May Fall Short of Charting Financial Roadmaps for and Underestimate Costs of Open Access Transitions

Though policymakers’ aims for transitioning to 100% Open Access for publicly funded research, such as in Switzerland, are laudable, their implementation in the coming years will not necessarily change the structure of the publishing market, as traditional publishers can be expected to be best able to branch out into the Open Access sector, due to their diversified product portfolios and revenue streams. A Blog Article by Pablo Markin. On April 3, 2018, Matthias Egger, president of the National Research Council of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), has announced the decision to make the results of all SNSF-funded projects freely […]

John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, Boston, MA, USA, April 11, 2017 © Courtesy of Bill Ilott/Flickr.

Subscription-Based Journals Have Not Been Found to Make Significant Contributions to Post-Publication Article Quality

Recent findings suggest that a transition to Open Access publishing is not likely to have a discernible effect on the quality of scholarly articles, since no significant measurable differences have been found between pre-print papers and their final versions as articles published in toll-based journals. A Blog Article by Pablo Markin. In their article published by International Journal on Digital Libraries on February 5, 2018, and available in draft version at arXiv, a pre-print archive, from April 18, 2016, Martin Klein, Peter Broadwell, Sharon E. Farb, and Todd Grappone have cast considerable, though tentative, doubt on the claims of large […]

Origin - Investigating the Big Bang, European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Geneva, Switzerland, August 31, 2011 | © Courtesy of Ars Electronica.

The Fragility and Presence of Government Funding for Open Access Initiatives Redefines the Role Global Publishers Play

In retrospect, the year 2017 demonstrates the staying power of Open Access, despite possible budget cuts, such as in the United States. Likewise, international foundations, Open Access publishing platforms, and European academic institutions have been fueling the transition to Open Access models internationally in 2017, which creates incentives for publishes to redefine their role in the journal publishing market. A Blog Article by Pablo Markin. Despite apprehensions to the opposite, in the United States Open Access funding has remained largely untouched in 2017. As important as the free dissemination of scientific knowledge and information may be, without sustainable economic models […]