In recent years, diamond open access (DOA) has increasingly become the focus of attention of research funders at European and national level. In Germany, too, there are diverse – often scholar-led – publication offerings where authors pay no publication charges and readers pay no fees to access content. Since May 2025, the German Research Foundation (DFG) has been funding the National Service Centre for Diamond Open Access (SeDOA). The project aims to increase the efficiency of diamond open access publishing in Germany by improving the coordination and visibility of existing decentralised infrastructures, to provide centralised information, and to support innovations. To be able to develop support offerings in a needs-based way, SeDOA conducted a comprehensive online survey in summer 2025. The survey followed on from previous studies and was aimed at systematically identifying the needs, challenges, and expectations of the German diamond open access community.

The survey was implemented by the Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (ZBW) within the framework of the SeDOA work package “Community Support Services”. The questionnaire was accessible online in July and August 2025. A total of 239 persons participated in the survey. Scholarly library staff made up the largest share of respondents (34%), followed by researchers (20%) and journal editors (18%). Other participants were from university presses, specialised information services, and professional associations, or selected the “Other” category. The survey therefore reflects a broad range of the stakeholders working in the area of diamond open access.

The results clearly show that a need for support exists in almost all topical areas surveyed. Funding issues and sustainable business models, quality standards in publishing, and indexing in relevant databases were particularly highlighted. Over 70% of respondents considered these three topics to be important or very important. In addition, aspects such as switching publishing provider, support in the production process, technical questions regarding software solutions, management topics, exchange formats, and basic information on diamond open access were rated as relevant by around 50% of respondents. 

Answers to the open-ended questions highlighted the complexity of the needs. In the area of software and technical infrastructure, multiple respondents expressed a desire for sustainable organisational and technical structures. On the subject of financing, besides general business models, in particular their long-term sustainability was stressed. Several respondents expressed a desire for targeted funding programmes for diamond open access initiatives as well as clear financing solutions for editorial work. In the detailed free-text answers, the practical challenges became clear, for example the recurring clarification of financing issues or the burdensome tendering of services in the public sector. The respondent groups differed slightly in their weighting of individual topics. However, funding remains the key concern across all groups. 

The need for legal support is also pronounced. Overall, it became clear that a considerable need for information and advice exists in the areas of copyright and contract law. Here, the community especially desires practical and legally sound guidance.

Respondents were also asked about their desires regarding the formats that support should take. Here, the results provide a clear picture. There is a preference for short, compact information offerings, such as information sheets or short virtual workshops of one to two hours’ duration. Longer workshops or extensive self-learning courses met with significantly less support. The majority of respondents considered participation in one to two events per year to be realistic. As temporal and financial resources were often cited as limiting factors, flexible, digital, and practical formats are particularly in demand. In addition, there is a desire for reusable materials, individual advice, and possibilities for exchange and networking.

Overall, the high level of participation in the survey shows the great interest in the topic of diamond open access in Germany. The findings highlight the need for support in almost all areas, especially funding, quality standards, and indexing. At the same time, the feedback underscores the importance of sustainable infrastructures, legally sound framework conditions, and strategic embedding in institutional contexts. For the SeDOA project, these findings are an important basis on which to develop future offerings in a targeted way and align them with the needs of the community.

The detailed results can be found on Zenodo.

Finger, J., Strauß, H., Steinecke, B. (2026). What the Diamond Open Access Community Really Needs – Findings of a SeDOA Needs Survey from 2025. open-access.network. https://doi.org/10.64395/vt7fx-npg11