Open Access als Standard - ENABLE!-Werkstattgespräch am 10.11.2022 mit dem Wissenschaftsrat
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Intro Open-Access-Vorgaben in EU-Projekten Quelle: Dreher, L. (2020). Open-Access-Vorgaben in EU-Projekten, open-access.network. https://doi.org/10.5446/48698 ( CC BY 3.0 DE ) The Key Takeaways from This Article are 1 Many research funding organisations now oblige grant recipients to provide open access to the published results of the research that they fund, and in some cases lay down very concrete guidelines for the implementation of this mandate. 2 Numerous funding organisations provide researchers with financial support for publication costs that may arise when publishing works open access. 3 There are also programmes that promote open access in a targeted manner. Funders and Their Requirements Research funding organisations play a key role in science and academia. In many disciplines, research would be practically impossible without their support. Whereas in Germany, research funders do not mandate open access , some funding organisations in other countries lay down compulsory guidelines for the provision of open access to published outputs that arise from their funding. Pioneers in this regard include, for example, Wellcome Trust (UK) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH; USA). Where research funders mandate that open access must be provided to research results and publications arising from their funding, they may: mandate that research data or scientific publications resulting from funded projects be made freely available to the public (if applicable, subject to an embargo period ), at least in a repository ; set maximum limits for embargo periods, or mandate that embargo periods should not be observed. Most public-sector research funders expect grant holders to publish outputs that arise from the research that they fund in gold open access venues, or to self-archive the publications in open access repositories after an embargo period ( green open access ). They frequently require that open licences be used. Researchers are advised to compare the guidelines of the funding organisation with those of the publisher, and, in the event of uncertainties, to make enquiries as soon as possible. Many funders have open access policies in which they adopt a clear position. As a rule, these policies also specify concrete funding conditions. Useful information about research funders’ open access policies is provided by Open Policy Finder . In the case of minor discrepancies between the open access policies of the funder and the publisher, authors should contact the publisher. In the case of major discrepancies, alternative publication venues should be considered. In the following, the open access guidelines and funding programmes of leading research funders are outlined. Policy positions on open access at the (supra-)national level can be found on our Policy Frameworks page . Practical Tips Here you will find the slides from the Open Access Talk Fördererauflagen zu Open Access – was gilt es zu beachten? (in German) Here you will find the guide Open Access in die Förderpraxis integrieren – Empfehlungen für Stiftungen und private Förderer (in German) Financing Find an introduction here. Open Policy Finder On this website, you can find information on research funders' open access policies. re3data Here you can find repositories for research data. Helpdesk Our Helpdesk is happy to help with all questions open access. cOAlition S & Plan S Video zu Plan S und Förderung Quelle: Rooryck, J. (2020). Plan S and Funding. What is going to change?, open-access.network. https://doi.org/10.5446/49702 ( CC BY 3.0 DE ) Launched in 2018, cOAlition S pursues with Plan S a strategy of ensuring open access to scholarly publications arising from publicly funded research. With effect from 2021, scholarly publications resulting from research funded by organisations participating in cOAlition S must be published in open access journals or on open access platforms, or made immediately available without embargo through open access repositories ( Rücknagel, 2021 ). Plan S Principles The initiative is built around the 10 Principles of Plan S , which are binding for all projects funded by organisations participating in cOAlition S. The main principles are ( Rücknagel, 2021 ): Authors or their institutions retain the rights in their publications. Publications must be made openly available immediately and under an open licence, preferably a Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY). Where applicable, the open access publication fees are covered by the research institutions or funding organisations, not by the authors. Publishers’ pricing is fair and transparent. Hybrid publishing is not financially supported unless transformative arrangements exist. Funders shall assess the intrinsic merit of the research work, not the reputation of the publication channel. The cOAlition S Journal Checker Tool can be used to check whether an open access journal is compliant with Plan S. Members of cOAlition S The most well-known organisations participating in cOAlition S are: European Commission Austrian Science Fund (FWF) Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR) Research Council of Norway (RCN) World Health Organization (WHO) The German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) have declared their support for cOAlition S but have not adopted Plan S. European Commission In the EU framework programme for research and innovation Horizon 2020 (2014–2020), the European Commission already required funding recipients to ensure open access to research outputs resulting from funded projects. This stipulation has been retained by the successor programme, Horizon Europe (2021–2027). The European Commission offers funding beneficiaries an open access publishing service, Open Research Europe (ORE) , at no cost to them. Preprints submitted to ORE undergo comprehensive prepublication checks to ensure that all policies and ethical standards have been adhered to. After publication, the articles undergo open peer review . The post-prints of articles that pass peer review are sent to major indexing databases and repositories. Further details of the procedure can be found here . Conditions An overview of Horizon Europe’s framework conditions in relation to open access can be found in the programme's factsheet on open science . Besides ensuring immediate open access to scientific publica­tions, funding recipients are required to manage research data as far as possible in line with the FAIR Principles – under certain circumstances some degree of closed access will be tolerated. Within the framework of the Model Grant Agreement ( European Commission, 2021, pp. 108–109 ), the following requirements apply to peer-reviewed scientific publications relating to the results of funded research: At the latest at the time of publication, a machine-readable electronic copy of the published version or the final manuscript accepted for publication must be deposited in a trusted repository (see OpenDOAR ). Immediate open access must be provided to publications under a CC BY licence or a licence with equivalent rights. For monographs and other long-text formats, the licence may exclude commercial uses and derivative works (e.g. CC BY-NC, CC BY-ND). Information must be given via the repository about any research output or any other tools needed to validate the conclusions of the scientific publication. Moreover, funding beneficiaries (or authors) must retain sufficient intel­lectual property rights. Metadata of deposited publications must be made openly accessible under a CC 0 licence or a licence with equivalent rights. Further information on this topic – and on the framework condi­tions for research data management – can be found on pages 108–109 of the Model Grant Agreement ( European Commission, 2021 ). Support for Publication Costs Publication fees will be reimbursed under the following conditions ( European Commission, 2021, p. 109 ): The work must be published in a fully open access publication venue. The publication venue must fulfil open access publication standards (licensing, peer review). Projects for the Promotion of Open Access The European Commission supports several projects on open access and open science, such as OpenAIRE, the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) , and HIRMEOS . The catch-all data repository Zenodo , among other things, was created within the framework of OpenAIRE . Click on the picture to watch the video. Open Research Europe: The new EU open access publishing platform. Source: EU Science & Innovation (2021). Open Research Europe: The new EU open access publishing platform. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7bW2_xX3iU Practical Tip Here you can find the slides of the Open Access Talk Open Access requirements in EU projects (in German) German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) With its guideline for the promotion of projects to accelerate the transformation to open access ( BMBF, 2020 ), the BMFTR (formerly BMBF) has strengthened the establishment of open access as a standard model of scholarly publishing in Germany. The aim is to accelerate the transition to open access within the framework of a national open access strategy , and to ensure that, by 2025, 70% of all newly published scholarly publications will be exclusively published open access or additionally made available to the public in open access. Open access is not mandatory – the decision remains in the hands of the BMFTR-funded researchers. However, funding recipients are encouraged to provide gold or green open access to the results of BMFTR-funded research. Support for Publication Costs Publication costs that arise when publishing works open access may be covered from project funds or included in the project proposal. Thus, for publications during the lifetime of the project, the financing of publica­tion costs that arise when publishing works open access is assured. The Post-Grant Fund reimburses publication costs incurred when publishing results of completed BMBF-funded projects ( BMBF, 2017 ). The approval period may not date back more than three years. Moreover, con­tributions must be published under a licence that grants at least a cost-free, worldwide right to read the work in electronic form and to re­produce, disseminate, and make it available to the public ( Rücknagel, 2021 ). Projects for the Promotion of Open Access The former BMBF has supported 20 projects related to the transition to open access . German Research Foundation (DFG) The DFG signed the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities in 2003. For the purpose of scientifically adequate communication, the DFG requests researchers in receipt of DFG funding to either publish project results directly in peer-reviewed and/or renowned open access journals or on open access platforms, or to deposit their articles in disciplinary or institutional open access repositories, if possible without delay, in addition to traditional publication by a publisher ( German Research Foundation, 2021, pp. 42–43 ). Although the DFG supports cOAlition S, it has not made open access mandatory to date. Programmes Providing Support for Publication Costs The DFG offers the following funding options to support the financing of publication costs: The funding programme Open Access Publication Funding is the successor of the long-standing programme Open Access Publishing . It grants research institutions a fixed open access allowance. Individual researchers may use project-related publication expenses for open access publications. However, to avoid double funding, they should check with their library or central service units. The Publication Grants programme supports inter alia the publication of fee-based e-books and open access e-books. According to the Guidelines for Publication Grants , the decision not to publish open access requires explicit justification. Programmes for the Promotion of Open Access Within the framework of the funding programme Infrastructures for Scholarly Publishing , the DFG supports projects relating to open access. The funding programme has three focus areas: Structures for Transitioning to Open Access Open Access Infrastructures Digital Publishing Moreover, within the framework of this programme, proposals may be sub­mitted for projects that aim to set up or further develop an individu­al open access journal or to convert an existing journal to open access. Austrian Science Fund (FWF) The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) is also a signatory of the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. Moreover, it is a participant in cOAlition S. Hence, researchers are required to provide open access to peer-reviewed research outputs that result in part or in full from projects funded by the FWF. Conditions Three open access publishing options are available ( Rücknagel, 2021 ): Publication in an open access publication venue Publication in a transformative open access publication venue Self-archiving of the accepted manuscript under a CC BY licence or an equivalent open licence on the date of publication. In exceptional cases, a CC BY-ND licence may be used, but this must be approved by the FWF. Up to three years after completion of a project, applications can be sub­mitted for funding to cover the costs of of peer-reviewed publications. The publication venue must fulfil the following requirements ( Rücknagel, 2021 ): According to Plan S, publication in hybrid journals is not sufficient unless a transformative arrangement exists. The cOAlition S Journal Checker Tool can be used to check whether an open access journal is compliant with Plan S. The quality of the publication venue must be appropriate: journals must be listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) , book publishers must be listed in the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) , and repositories must be listed in OpenDOAR . Pricing and quality assurance ( peer-review ) must be transparent. Since 2019, the FWF expects research data on which scholarly publica­tions resulting from FWF-funded projects are based to be made available in open access in line with the FAIR Principles. In the case of all other research data, the provision of open access is at the discretion of the principal investigator. Where open access is mandatory, the research data should be published under a CC BY licence or an equivalent open licence as soon as possible – at the latest, together with the correspon­ding scholarly publication. Should open access to research data not be possible, this must be justified. Programme for the Promotion of Open Access The FWF promotes stand-alone publications , including "new formats such as apps, wiki-based publications, annotated scientific databases". The establishment or modernisation of scholarly journals is promoted with the aim of meeting the minimum requirements of Plan S. Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) is a signatory of the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities and supports Plan S ( Philipp, 2018 ). It requires grantees to provide open access to the results of SNSF-funded research because "research findings funded with public money belong to the public". Therefore, "everyone should be able to access them electronically and free of charge". Conditions Researchers may choose between green or gold open access . Hybrid publications also fulfil the SNSF’s open access requirement. However, in contrast to gold open access publications, the costs of publishing in hybrid journals are not covered by the SNSF. Funding Guidelines describe the various options and the procedure for complying with the SNSF’s open access mandate. Via the SNSF’s open access platform (mySNF) , authors can apply for funding to cover the costs of gold open access publishing. In this connection, the SNSF recommends that authors check whether their journal of choice is listed in the DOAJ. If this is the case, the SNSF’s open access requirement is automatically fulfilled. If authors choose green open access, journal articles must be made avail­able to the public in a repository six months at the latest after publica­tion; for books and book chapters, the maximum embargo period is 12 months. The self-archived version should be at least the author’s accep­ted manuscript (with the changes made after peer review but without the publisher’s layout). It must be deposited in a repository that allows permanent, cost-free access. In the event that the publisher stipulates a longer embargo period than that permitted by the SNSF, the above-mentioned Guidelines suggest a standard email for contacting publi­shers. The Guidelines also include the requirements that repositories must fulfil, and a list of approved institutional repositories. Programme for the Promotion of Open Access The SNSF also has a programme that finances the publication of open access books . Volkswagen Foundation The Volkswagen Foundation supports open access in principle and "expects the research results funded by it not only to be published in the traditional print media but also to be made available on the internet via open access" ( Volkswagen Foundation, 2021, p. 7 ). Embargo periods of between six and 12 months are possible ( Rücknagel, 2021 ). Support for Publication Costs Researchers can apply for earmarked funds to cover article processing charges (APCs) or book processing charges (BPC). With regard to the quality requirements that journals and book publishers must fulfil, it should be noted that ( Volkswagen Foundation, 2018 ): journals must be listed in the DOAJ; in the case of monographs, the chosen publisher should be listed in the DOAB or be an OASPA member . A further prerequisite for the reimbursement of publication costs is that persistent identifiers (e.g. DOIs ) and metadata should be assigned and the most open CC licence possible should be granted. Moreover, the Volkswagen Foundation recommends that authors retain their rights to exploit their works ( Volkswagen Foundation, 2018 ). The Foundation supports the sustainable storage of research data from the projects that it funds and the provision of open access to these data in line with the FAIR Principles. Funding applicants are requested to submit a data management plan together with their proposals. Further information on research data, as well as on open source programmes that arise in the context of projects funded by the Foundation, can be found in the Foundation guidelines ( Volkswagen Foundation, 2018 ). References Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. (2017, August 28). Richtlinie zur Förderung von Open Access-Publikationen aus abgeschlossenen BMBF-geförderten Projekten (Post-Grant-Fund), Bundesanzeiger vom 01.09.2017 . BMBF.de. https://www.bmbf.de/bmbf/shareddocs/bekanntmachungen/de/2017/09/1404_bekanntmachung Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. (2020, May 18). Richtlinie zur Förderung von Projekten zur Beschleunigung der Transformation zu Open Access, Bundesanzeiger vom 17.06.2020 . BMBF.de. https://www.bmbf.de/bmbf/shareddocs/bekanntmachungen/de/2020/06/3044_bekanntmachung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. (2021). Verwendungsrichtlinien. Allgemeine Bedingungen für Förderverträge mit der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft e.V. (DFG) . https://www.dfg.de/formulare/2_00/v/dfg_2_00_de_v0121.pdf Europäische Kommission. (2021). Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Euratom Research and Training Programme (EURATOM). General Model Grant Agreement EIC Accelerator Contract. https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/agr-contr/general-mga_horizon-euratom_en.pdf Philipp, T. (2018, September 4). Freier Zugang zu Publikationen: Der SNF unterstützt den europäischen Plan S . SNF.Ch. https://www.snf.ch/de/0pAC5oBtDJQ10ABP/news/news-180904-freier-zugang-der-snf-unterstuetzt-plan-s Rücknagel, J. (2021, April 15). Fördererauflagen zu Open Access - was gilt es zu beachten? OpenAccessTalk. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4694320 Volkswagenstiftung. (2018). Information Open Access - Open Data - Open Source . https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/sites/default/files/downloads/OpenAccessOpenDataOpenSource-Hinweise_10_2018.pdf VolkswagenStiftung. (2021). Bewilligungsgrundsätze . https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/sites/default/files/downloads/Bewilligungsgrunds%C3%A4tze%2002_2021.pdf Further Reading Dreher, L. (2021). Open-Access-Vorgaben in EU-Projekten. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5223006 Europäische Kommission. (2017). H2020 Programme. Guidelines to the Rules on Open Access to Scientific Publications and Open Access to Research Data in Horizon 2020. (Version 3.2.). https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/hi/oa_pilot/h2020-hi-oa-pilot-guide_en.pdf Rooryck, J. (2020). Plan S and funding - what is going to change?. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4159203...
Intro Finanzierung von Open-Access-Monographien Quelle: Brinken, H. (2020). Finanzierung von Open-Access-Monographien, open-access.network. https://doi.org/10.5446/49535 ( CC BY 3.0 DE ) The key takeaways from this article are 1 There are numerous business and funding models for open access books. 2 The individual models have specific advantages and disadvantages; some models can be combined with each other. 3 Besides book processing charges (BPCs), which are widely used in the German-speaking area, the parallel sale of print editions, the institutional funding of open access, and consortial models are of particular importance. Multifaceted Change Open access means free access to and reuse of scientific information. Because open access books are available to readers free of charge, the publication costs can no longer be covered by sales of the books, but rather must be financed through alternative business models. In recent years, the importance of open access has increased enormously in the humanities and social sciences. As a result, a variety of business and funding models for open access books have developed. Although there are both commonalities and differences between these models and the common models for open access journals, the models for open access books are by comparison more varied and more experimental. In practice, different approaches are often combined with each other. In what follows, the main funding models for open access books in the German-speaking area are briefly introduced. The overview draws on existing typologies with different degrees of complexity that can be highly recommended as further reading (Collins et al., 2015; Speicher et al., 2018; Penier et al., 2020). Moreover, for the selection presented here, the brief overview provided by the Open Access Books Toolkit (OAPEN, 2020) proved helpful. Open Access Books Find an introduction here. Practical Tip Useful tips for implementation can be found in the guide ‘How to Begin the OA Transition’ ( Estelle et al., 2025 ). Video zum Publizieren von Open-Access-Büchern Quelle: Stern, N. (2020). Publishing your book in Open Access?, open-access.network. https://doi.org/10.5446/52108 ( CC BY 3.0 DE ) Book Processing Charges (BPCs) Advantages BPCs enable the recognition and assumption of the costs associated with the publication of high-quality open access book publications. Because, for many years now, research funding organisations, foundations, and authors in the German speaking area have also funded conventional book publications via so-called printing cost allowances, the hurdle for paying BPCs is lower here than in other countries. Disadvantages The BPC model reinforces injustices in the academic system by giving an advantage to authors who work in secure positions at financially strong institutions or on well-resourced third-party-funded projects. Authors who work at less well-resourced institutions are disadvantaged, as are those who are not affiliated with an institution. At the international level, the model disadvantages authors in the Global South. Moreover, there is also criticism of the fact that commercial publishers do not clearly present their actual costs and services, which is why the reimbursement of BPCs is increasingly contingent upon compliance with standards relating to quality and transparency. Practical Tip Here you can find helpful recommendations and checklists on quality standards for OA books: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Universitätsverlage Nationaler Open-Access-Kontaktpunkt OGeSoMo Focus Group on Open Access Books Discuss current developments in OA books with other experts. Fokus Group on Open Access Monograph Funds Discuss the funding conditions and amounts of existing monograph funds with other experts. Publication fees for books, also known as book processing charges (BPCs), are levied by publishers to cover the costs that arise during the publication process. They are the counterparts of the well-known article processing charges (APCs) used in the journals area. The level of the BPCs varies from publisher to publi­sher; they range from a few hundred to several thousand euros. There are a number of reasons for this. First, the services and licensing options offered by the publishers differ, as do the books that are published. Second, differences in the costs and revenue structures of the publishers also play an important role. And finally, third, there are publishers who, besides their actual costs, also include estimates of lost sale proceeds in the calculation of BPCs. However, it is a matter of debate whether parallel open access publication has any effect at all on the sales figures of the printed edition. Various studies have shown that publishers’ fears of serious sales shortfalls are unfounded (Collins et al., 2015; Ferwerda et al., 2018; Snijder, 2019; Graf et al., 2020). Publication fees are very widespread in the case of open access books (see Penier et al., 2020, pp. 46–52). The model is used both by commercial publishers and by scholar-led publishers and university presses. As a rule, BPCs are paid by research funding organisations or by the authors’ institutions. By now, nume­rous institutions have established publication funds for this purpose – in Ger­many, often with support from the German Research Foundation (DFG). How­ever, particularly authors who are not affiliated with an institution, or who work at financially weaker institutions, have to bear the costs themselves. Because BPCs are author-side fees, the model is also referred to as the author-pays model . Sale of Print Editions The parallel publication of digital and print editions of books, sometimes known as dual publishing, is a hybrid model whereby revenues are generated from sales of the print edition. These revenues do not usually completely replace the BPCs, but rather are intended merely to supplement them. In contrast to the journals area, the sale of books in printed form is still very widespread both in the case of commercial publishers and of scholar-led publishers and university presses. In the past, commercial publishers often relied on embargo periods and restrictive licensing models. However, also due to research funders’ requirements, a clear trend towards gold open access and Creative Commons (CC) licences is apparent. Advantages The sale of print editions (paperbacks, hardcover books) can be an im­portant source of revenue for publishers. Thanks to digital technologies and lean distribution structures, the additional effort required for this has decreased noticeably in recent years. As long as there is still a corresponding demand on the part of libraries and readers, it makes sense for publishers to continue to offer scholarly books in printed form and to also use the existing channels of the book trade for this purpose. Disadvantages Despite the savings achieved by using procedures such as print on demand, the production and sale of print editions is associated with a certain level of costs and administrative effort. Should the demand for scholarly books in printed form (continue to) decline in the future, this model, too, will become less attractive. Research Funders and Open Access Find an introduction here. Institutional Support Advantages For institutions and their libraries, it may be expedient to invest part of the budgetary funds earmarked for financing (open access) publications in the establishment of their own publication services. In this way, they can grant their own (and possibly also other) researchers attractive conditions, use existing infrastructures and know-how, and enhance the reputation of their own institutions. Disadvantages In order to be able to offer authors and editors an attractive publishing environment, a considerable level of commitment is required. The institutional-support model can develop its full potential only if activities are long term and sustainable Association of European University Presses Click here to find out more about the AEUP. Within the framework of their promotion of open access, universities and non-university research organisations provide their own publication services for open access books. These can range from the creation of a repository or a publication platform to the operation of a university press. Institutional support can be provided on a financial, personnel, or infrastructural level. Libraries often play a key role in this regard. institutional support enables university presses either to keep BPCs low or to dispense with them completely. The fact that university presses operate on a non-profit basis also has a positive effect on pricing. The use of the services may be restricted to members of the university or be open also to researchers at other institutions. In particular, institutions in which the humanities and social sciences are strongly represented, now provide book publishing services of their own. The majority of German-language university presses have come together in the Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Universitätsverlage (Consortium of University Presses). The most well known of these are Göttingen University Press , Heidelberg University Publishing , and KIT Scientific Publishing . Library Consortia Within the framework of library consortia, libraries pledge a fee towards making collections of books open access. These bundles, or packages, may either be thematically grouped or may relate to titles published by one or more publi­shers. As soon as enough libraries have agreed to participate, and the pledging target has been reached, a pre-agreed fee is paid to the publishers, and the books are then made available in open access. This revenue model is similar to the well-known crowdfunding models in other areas. In the present case, the crowd is made up of libraries. Consortial models are already widespread in the area of journals. For the humanities, the Open Library of Humanities’ (OLH) crowdfunding model is of particular importance. In the area of books, Knowledge Unlatched plays a pioneering role; as of November 2021, over 3,000 books had been unlatched – that is, made available in open access. Within the framework of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) Guidelines for Promoting Projects to Accelerate the Transition to Open Access , several projects are currently being funded that are developing consortial models for book series (KOALA, OAdine, TOAA). At the international level, the project COPIM is working on the (further) development of alternative business models. Advantages Consortial models render it possible to dispense with BPCs and all their disadvantages. For this reason, they can be very attractive for authors. Moreover, they offer publishers a low-threshold way of converting their own programmes to open access. And finally, for the libraries, they can considerably reduce the processing efforts associated with the procurement of books. Disadvantages There is no guarantee that a sufficient number of libraries will always be found to raise enough money to unlatch a package of titles. Moreover, there is a danger that, in view of budget shortages, libraries will speculate that the pledging target will be reached without their participation (free rider problem). Moreover, commercially oriented models may cause libraries to be sceptical, and may contribute to their reticence. Other Models The models outlined above are merely a selection. Among the numerous other models, many of which have not been tested on a large scale, two should be mentioned at least briefly: the freemium model and the institutional membership model. Freemium Under the freemium model, a publisher or a service provider publishes one edition of a book open access without charging the authors a publi­cation fee. This open access publication is financed via other revenue sources – for example, from the sale of digital editions with additional functionalities and in other formats (enhanced HTML, EPUB/Mobi, etc.). Although some publishers and platforms, such as OpenEdition und Open Book Publishers, are already successfully using the model, it remains to be seen whether it will prove its worth. Institutional Memberships Institutional memberships are another model that can be used to fund open access books. Often within the framework of consortial agree­ments, libraries and other institutions pay an annual membership fee to a publisher, who in turn assumes part of the costs of publishing books. Moreover, member institutions and their authors can obtain further dis­counts. The model is widespread especially in the area of journals, but it is also used by scholarly book publishers, such as Open Book Publishers and Punctum Books, and it can make an important contribution to the simplification and debureaucratisation of open access publishing. References Collins, E., Milloy, C., & Stone, G. (2015). Guide to open access monograph publishing for arts, humanities and social science researchers. Helping researchers to understand the opportunities and challenges of publishing a scholarly monograph in open access. AHRC/Jisc Collections. eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/25391/ http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/25391/1/Guide-to-open-access-monograph-publishing-for-researchers-final.pdf Estelle, L., Jago, D., Jones, R., Laakso, M., Snijder, R., & Wise, A. (2025). How to begin the OA transition: a guide for smaller and specialist publishers. Commissioned by UKRI, in partnership with the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP), the British Academy, and Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA) . Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14679094 Ferwerda, E., Snijder, R., Arpagaus, B., Graf, R., Krämer, D., & Moser, E. (2018). OAPEN-CH - Auswirkungen von Open Access auf wissenschaftliche Monographien in der Schweiz. Ein Projekt des Schweizerischen Nationalfonds . Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1219172 Graf, D., Fadeeva, Y., & Falkenstein-Feldhoff, K. (Eds.). (2020). Bücher im Open Access: Ein Zukunftsmodell für die Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften? Verlag Barbara Budrich. https://doi.org/10.17185/DUEPUBLICO/72237 OAPEN. (2020). Open Access Books Toolkit: Business models for open access book publishing . https://oabooks-toolkit.org/lifecycle/10944589-planning-funding/article/10432084-business-models-for-open-access-book-publishing Penier, I., Eve, M. P., & Grady, T. (2020). COPIM – Revenue Models for Open Access Monographs 2020 . Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4011836 Snijder, R. (2019). The deliverance of open access books : Examining usage and dissemination . Amsterdam University Press. https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/25287 Speicher, L., Armando, L., Bargheer, M., Eve, P. M., Fund, S., Leão, D., Mosterd, M., Pinter, F., & Souyioultzoglou, I. (2018). OPERAS Open Access Business Models [White Paper] . Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1323708 Further Reading Arning, U., Bargheer, M., Meinecke, I., Schobert, D., & Tobias, R. (2022). Open-Access-Transformation für Bücher: Die Rolle von institutionellen Verlagen und Publikationsdiensten . Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6346234 Barnes, L., & Gatti, R. (2018, May 22). The cost of Open Access books: a publisher writes. Open Book Publishers . blogs.openbookpublishers.com/the-cost-of-open-access-books-a-publisher-writes/ Böhm, D., Grossmann, A., Reiche, M. & Schrader, A. (2020). Open-Access-Publikationsworkflow für akademische Bücher. Ein Handbuch für Hochschulen und Universitäten. http://doi.org/10.33968/9783966270175-00 Hanneken et al. (2020). Die transcript OPEN Library Politikwissenschaften. Ein Modell für Open-Access-eBooks in den Geistes- & Sozialwissenschaften . https://doi.org/10.11588/ip.2020.1.66637 Pinter, F. (2018). Why Book Processing Charges (BPCs) Vary So Much. JEP. the Journal of Electronic Publishing , 21 (1). https://doi.org/10.3998/3336451.0021.101 Springer Open. (2018). Guide to Open Access Books for SpringerOpen Authors . https://media.springernature.com/full/springer-cms-preview/rest/v1/content/16216776/data/v2 van Gerven Oei, V. W. J., Joy, E., & Rudmann, D. (2020, July 7). We Got the Receipts: The Punctum Books Financial and Activity Report 2016–2019 . Punctum Books. https://punctumbooks.pubpub.org/pub/punctum-books-financial-activity-report-2016-2019/release/5...
Intro Video on the Funding of Open Access Articles Source: Becklas Dorow, C., Hauss, J. (2026). Funding Open Access Articles – What Are the Options?. Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB), open-access.network. https://doi.org/10.5446/73596 ( CC BY 3.0 DE ) KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS ARTICLE 1 There are various business and funding models for open access journals. 2 Three basic types of funding models can be distinguished: APC-based, institutional, and consortial models. 3 Within the framework of the open access transformation, efficient, transparent, and fair models should preferably be used. Journal Costs Open access means free access to and reuse of scientific information. Because open access journals can be accessed by readers free of charge, the production costs ( Borrego 2023 ) cannot be recovered through subscriptions but rather must be funded through alternative business models. The serials crisis and the associated large profits earned by scholarly publishers from public funds were key reasons for the emergence of the open access movement . When discussing business models, it is therefore meaningful to distinguish between covering costs and making a profit, especially in cases where it is a matter of reallocating costs for the purpose of converting journals to open access . In all cases, the operating and personnel costs required to receive, manage, publish, and distribute works must be financed. In addition, there are infrastructural costs, for example for server capacities and websites. Added to this are new cost demands for the publication of research data or multimedia content. In the area of gold open access , there are a number of different business models ( Keller, 2017 ; Russell, 2019 ; Waidlein et al., 2021 ). Basically, open access journals can be financed through article processing charges ( APCs ), by institutions, or by consortia. Models that manage entirely without APCs are referred to as diamond open access . Practical Tip Here you can find the slides of the open access talk Open-Access-Finanzierung: Fragen und Probleme (Funding Open Access: Issues and Problems). Source: based on Oberländer, A. (2020). Open Access – Es ist nicht alles Gold, was glänzt. In: Open Science. Von Daten zu Publikationen. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4018594 ( CC BY 4.0 International ) Alternative Business Models for Open Access Publications Source: Strauß, H., Rücknagel, J., & Hauss, J. (2022). Alternative Geschäftsmodelle für Open-Access-Publikationen. https://doi.org/10.5446/60353 ( CC BY 3.0 DE ) Author-Pays Model Article Processing Charges (APCs) The central feature of the author-pays model is that in the interval between manuscript acceptance and article publication, APCs are payable by the authors or their institutions. The availability of funds for and the acceptance of such payments depends also on the publication culture of the discipline in question. Other factors include access to third-party funding and the authors’ professional status. APCs are therefore often viewed critically . It is feared that they create access barriers, especially for authors from countries in the Global South or for early career researchers. On the other hand, many commercial open access journals offer fee waivers in individual cases (e.g. for authors from low- and medium-income countries; Lawson, 2015) and pass on these costs to APC-paying authors. Many research funding organisations require that publications resulting from the projects they fund be published open access; in return, they cover the cost of APCs. However, the spread of APC models may lead to a burden on research budgets. Publication Funds Publication funds are one instrument for the institutional support of authors in paying APCs. Many universities and non-university research organisations have such publication funds, from which they pay APCs on their authors’ behalf ( Bruch et al., 2014 ; see the overview in the Open Access Directory). In many cases, funds earmarked for the procurement of literature, and especially for journal subscriptions, also flow into the publication funds. In this way, although the research organisations still pay for the publications, they are now freely accessible worldwide. In Germany, the establishment of publication funds has long been associated with institutional funding programmes of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft , DFG) . Since 2020, higher education institutions and non-university research organisations can apply for a fixed allowance for the open access publication of research results from the realigned DFG funding programme Open Access Publication Funding . With this partial funding of individual publications, the operation of publication funds continues to be supported. Subsidies for open access publication fees are possible inter alia for journal articles, including articles published under transformative agreements such as those negotiated by Projekt Deal . Some German federal states, for example Schleswig-Holstein (until 2024), provide state support for open access by making funding available for publication funds. Furthermore, agreements concluded between open access publishers and research organisations can regulate the payment of APCs and possible discounts. Hybrid Journals: Open Access as an Exception Fee-based open access options for individual articles in subscription journals (which are then often known as hybrid journals ) are a very controversial business model,as the journal not only earns revenue from subscriptions but also from articles that are made open access against payment of APCs. The costs per article are generally much higher than in the case of gold open access journals, although revenue is obtained from two sources. Often referred to as double dipping , this double financing is practised mainly by commercial journals and applied to existing journals that are not earmarked for conversion to open access . Other reservations against hybrid models relate to the fact that they do not contribute to the transformation of the scholarly publishing market to open access, that costing is not transparent, and that individual open access articles in closed access journals do not achieve adequate visibility.In negotiations with publishers (e.g. in the case of individual subscriptions, but also in the case of national licences and consortial models), public institutions usually urge publishers to take measures to counter double dipping, for example by offsetting APCs for open access articles against subscription fees. In Germany, the DEAL Konsortium has concluded transformative agreements with the scholarly publishers Springer Nature, Wiley, and Elsevier to effectively address this problem. The author-pays model is now widespread and is often erroneously used as a synonym for open access business models. However, even before the emergence of the open access movement, journals required their authors to contribute to the financing. Conversely, very many open access journals do not charge their authors any fees. Of the 20,949 journals listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) as of August 2025, 13,824 did not levy any article processing charges ( APCs ). Institutional Funding Business models that rely on direct payments by authors create a large administrative burden. Moreover, it is feared that APCs give rise to unequal prerequisites for access to publishing opportunities. Hence the interest in models that rely directly on funding by institutions. Institutions can, for example, provide publishing services or fund open access journals completely, so that other authors also benefit. One traditional variant is the (partial) funding of publications via professional associations or other institutions of a discipline. Some professional associations traditionally fund their publishing activities from membership fees. Thus, their members are usually both users and authors of the articles published, so that the costs of publishing open access are shared by both groups. One example of a community-funded journal is Documenta Mathematica , which was founded by the Deutsche Mathematiker-Vereinigung (German Mathematical Society). The digital edition is open access; a print edition is available for a small fee. According to the society, the costs of producing the journal are low and are covered mainly by the society. Ultimately, many open access journals rely on the commitment of those involved, who either work on the journal as part of their employment or on a voluntary basis. Support by staff, and possibly the assumption of material costs, can be regarded as an important form of institutional support. Furthermore, nowadays, many academic institutions invest in their own publishing services, for example platforms and services for the production of journals with the help of the open source software Open Journal Systems (OJS) . In this case, the institution subsidises the costs of making the content available and may be responsible for parts of the publishing process. Practical Tips The OA Journals Toolkit provides practice-oriented tips for setting up new open access journals. In addition, the guides published [MG1] [PSM2] by the project Scholar-led Plus offer valuable support in further developing and professionalising scholar-led publishing activities at your institution and making them sustainable in the long term. Since May 2025, these offerings have been supplemented by the Servicestelle Diamond Open Access (SeDOA) . As a DFG-funded project, SeDOA is taking a coordinating role with the aim of sustainably increasing the efficiency of diamond open access (DOA) publishing in Germany through the optimisation of hitherto decentralised services, the centralised provision of relevant information, and the targeted promotion of structural and technical innovations Publishing Open Access Journals Find an introduction here. Editorial process at Open Journal Systems (OJS) Quelle: OJS-net.de Community Funding: Consortial Funding, Membership Models, and Crowdfunding Source: Wrzesinski, M. (2023). Nachhaltige Finanzierung und Organisation von Zeitschriften. https://doi.org/ 10.5446/62588 ( CC BY 3.0 DE ) KOALA – Establishing, Expanding and Anchoring Consortial Open Access Solutions The KOALA consortial model enables sustainable funding for diamond open access publications. KOALA creates bundles of thematically focused journals, which are then offered to academic institutions – especially libraries and research institutions – for community funding. The level of the contributions depends on the size and type of the institution, the number of academic staff members, and the number of students. As soon as the pledging target for a journal bundle has been reached, the titles it contains are securely funded and made freely accessible for a period of 3 years. Regular Operations at the TIB Hanover The Leibniz Information Centre for Science and Technology University Library ( TIB ) acts as a central service provider and coordinator for the KOALA model and operates the service for journals in its subject range (natural sciences and engineering) as part of its regular operations. It is responsible for hosting, consortial management, and communication with the publishers and partner institutions. This organisational framework guarantees stable, transparent, and fair funding of open access journals in the STEM fields. KOALA at the SLUB Dresden Since 2024, the KOALA model is also being piloted at the Saxon State and University Library Dresden (SLUB). Under the name KOALA-SLUB , several subject-specific journal bundles have been established. The SLUB Dresden is responsible for organising the KOALA funding solution – a role equivalent to that of the TIB Hanover. OLEcon Open Library Economics (OLEcon ) supports diamond open access journals of economics by organising consortial co-funding for journals that are either already open access, that are just getting started , or that want to flip (i.e. convert from a subscription model to open access) The OLEcon journal bundle is growing steadily. Journals can apply for funding within the framework of regular calls for applications. Already funded journals are evaluated after 3 years. In addition to the desired institutional participation, OLEcon is establishing a success monitoring system to ensure that the consortium can operate in the most stable and sustainable way possible. edu_consort_oa The project network edu_consort_oa aims to sustainably fund open access publications in educational science, educational research, and subject didactics through crowdfunding and consortial funding. In edu_consort_oa, libraries can participate in annual funding rounds for the financing of open access monographs and diamond open access journals. At present, a package of around 20 e-books, and – for the first time – up to five diamond open access journals (individually, not as part of a package) per year are currently funded for a period of 2 years. An overview of the funded e-books can be found on the Education Research Portal (Fachportal Pädagogik) website. All funded titles can be accessed via peDOCS and the German Education Index (FIS Bildung Literaturdatenbank ). OACIP The Open Access Community Investment Program (OACIP) aims to support non-commercial diamond open access journals in the long term through a consortial funding model. Academic institutions can provided targeted support for quality assured publications, which are evaluated based on standardised transparency and sustainability criteria. The funding period is 3 years. Institutions can either co-fund all the journals or individual journals in the OACIP bundle. A further option is to contribute to the OACIP General Fund, which is used to fill any funding gaps at the OACIP journals. In 2024, OACIP funded eight journals from the STEM fields and the humanities and social sciences. SCOAP³ (Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics) SCOAP³ is an international consortium dedicated to funding open access in high-energy physics. It aims to make high-energy physics articles freely accessible worldwide – without article processing charges for authors. The funding is provided by over 3,000 libraries, research performing organisations, and research funding organisations from over 40 countries. SCOAP³ is coordinated by CERN (the European Organisation for Nuclear Research) in collaboration with scholarly publishers. The partners’ contributions are based on their publication output and are centrally administered. SCOAP³ transforms existing subscription models into a community-funded open access model. In the current funding phase (2025–2027), 11 high-energy physics journals are freely accessible worldwide. Community funding models for open access publications eliminate both article processing charges ( APCs ) and subscription fees ( diamond open access ). To enable researchers to publish their works free of charge, academic institutions join forces and share the costs. Various approaches exist for this. They include consortial funding, membership models, and crowdfunding. These models cannot always be clearly distinguished from one another. However, each model has certain basic characteristics. Consortial funding is a collaborative model in which several academic institutions – typically libraries, higher education institutions, or research funding organisations – jointly fund open access journals, books, or infrastructures ( Reinsfelder & Pike, 2018 ). Examples include KOALA , OLEcon , and Scoap3 . Membership models, for example the Open Library of Humanities (OLH) , enable academic institutions to fund the infrastructure, editorial work, quality assurance, and long-term archiving of diamond open access journals through a fixed annual membership fee. In the case of crowdfunding, a specific project – for example certain journal or book packages – is usually put out to tender. One well-known platform for the crowdfunding of open access publications is Knowledge Unlatched . Crowdfunding campaigns usually have a time limit. If the funding target is reached, the project can be realized. Although crowdfunding is often project related, many initiatives aim to create longer-term structures. Successful crowdfunding can, for example, lay the foundations for a membership funding model or consortial funding. Another model is Subscribe to Open (S2O) , in which open access journals are funded through existing subscriptions. Each year, libraries and other institutions are invited to renew their subscriptions on the same conditions as before, with the aim of making the content of the journal freely accessible for everyone. If the funding target is achieved, the entire volume is published in open access. If the target is not reached, access remains restricted as before. S2O thus offers a gentle transition to open access without structural changes for libraries or additional costs for researchers. Praxistipp Der Diamond Funding Navigator von der TIB bündelt Angebote für die kollektive Finanzierung von Diamond-Open-Access-Publikationen weltweit - laufende und zurückliegende. Dies soll insbesondere Personen, die in der Literaturerwerbung und Lizenzierung tätig sind, sowie Fachreferent:innen dabei unterstützen, passende Finanzierungsangebote zu finden. Further Funding Options Another way of funding open access publications is the parallel sale of content in separate (print) editions. In the area of digital publishing, there have been various attempts to implement the so-called freemium model, where the fee-based variant provides more benefits than the cost-free variant. For example, this may involve making the HTML version of an article freely available to all Internet users but making the premium version in PDF format accessible only to subscribers. One example is the OpenEdition Freemium programme for the development of open access publishing in the humanities and social sciences. OpenEdition OpenEdition is a digital publishing platform that specialises in the humanities and social sciences. It was established in France and is supported by the Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS). OpenEdition offers researchers and institutions infrastructure and services for publishing scientific content open access and making it visible. The platform comprises four key offerings: OpenEdition Journals (scholarly journals) OpenEdition Books (monographs) Hypothèses (scholarly blogs) Calenda (scholarly event calendar) OpenEdition aims to promote free access to high-quality scientific information and to provide a sustainable, non-commercial publishing environment for the academic community. Transformation und Transparency In the area of business models, the transformation of a scholarly journals landscape shaped by subscriptions to a landscape oriented mainly towards open access is very challenging. In Germany, the DEAL Konsortium is trying to contribute to the transformation of journals by negotiating transformative agreements with an open access component ( publish and read ). Whereas it appears to be possible to convert journals completely to open access while covering operational costs, the high fees charged under the author-pays model may lead to an increase in research organisations’ overall costs (Mittermaier, 2025). With ESAC (Efficiency and Standards for Article Charges) , an international initiative has been established that aims to ensure that the processing of publication costs within the framework of transformative agreements is efficient and transparent. References Borrego, A. (2023). Article processing charges for open access journal publishing: A review. Learned Publishing: Volume 36 (3), 359-378. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1558 Bruch, C., Fournier, J., & Pampel, H. (2014). Open-Access-Publikationsfonds: Eine Handreichung (Arbeitsgruppe Open Access der Schwerpunktinitiative Digitale Information der Allianz der deutschen Wissenschaftsorganisationen, Ed.). https://doi.org/10.2312/allianzoa.006 Keller, A. (2017). Finanzierungsmodelle für Open-Access-Zeitschriften. Bibliothek Forschung und Praxis, 41(1), 22–35. https://doi.org/10.1515/bfp-2017-0012 Lawson, S. (2015). Fee waivers for open access journals. Publications, 3(3), 155–167. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications3030155 Mittermaier, B. (2025). Transformationsverträge sind eine Sackgasse. O-Bib. Das Offene Bibliotheksjournal, 12(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.5282/o-bib/6117 Reinsfelder, T. L., & Pike, C. A. (2018). Using library funds to support open access publishing through crowdfunding: Going beyond article processing charges. Collection Management, 48(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/01462679.2017.1415826 (Author’s accepted manuscript: https://hdl.handle.net/1805/15059 ) Russell, B. (2019, October 23). Guest post — The future of open access business models: APCs are not the only way. The Scholarly Kitchen Blog. https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2019/10/23/guest-post-the-future-of-open-access-business-models-apcs-are-not-the-only-way/ Waidlein, N., Wrzesinski, M., Dubois, F., & Katzenbach, C. (2021). Working with budget and funding options to make open access journals sustainable (HIIG Discussion Paper No. 2021–1). HIIG. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4558790 Links for Further Reading Bickel, L., Clasen, N., & Flohr, R. (2019, November 13). Open-Access-Tage 2019: Geschäftsmodelle und ihre finanziellen Folgen für die Open-Access-Transformation. ZBW MediaTalk. https://www.zbw-mediatalk.eu/de/2019/11/open-access-tage-2019-geschaeftsmodelle-und-ihre-finanziellen-folgen-fuer-die-open-access-transformation/ Björk, B.-C., & Korkeamäki, T. (2020). Adoption of the open access business model in scientific journal publishing: A cross-disciplinary study. College & Research Libraries, 81(7). https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.81.7.1080 Bosman, J. & Kramer, B. (2018, Mai 16). Linking impact factor to ‘open access’ charges creates more inequality in academic publishing. Times Higher Education Blog. https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/linking-impact-factor-open-access-charges-creates-more-inequality-academic-publishing Budzinski, O., Grebel, T., Wolling, J., & Zhang, X. (2020). Drivers of article processing charges in open access. Scientometrics, 124(3), 2185–2206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-020-03578-3 Demeter, M., & Istratii, R. (2020). Scrutinising what open access journals mean for global inequalities. Publishing Research Quarterly, 36(4), 505–522. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-020-09771-9 . Frick, C., & Kaier, C. (2020). Publikationskosten für Zeitschriftenartikel abseits von Open-Access-Publikationsfonds – Lost in Transformation? o-bib – das offene Bibliotheksjournal, 7(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.5282/o-bib/5586 Ginsparg , P. (2021). Lessons from arXiv’s 30 years of information sharing. Nature Review Physics, 3, 602–603. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42254-021-00360-z Grossmann, A., & Brembs, B. (2021). Current market rates for scholarly publishing services. F1000Research, 10. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.27468.2 Jahn, N., & Tullney, M. (2016). A study of institutional spending on open access publication fees in Germany. PeerJ 4. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2323 Kändler, U., & Tullney, M. (2019, October 15). Jenseits von APC: Kriterien für Geschäftsmodelle. Open-Access-Tage 2019, Hannover. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3490914 Michael, A. (2020, August 27). Sustainable open access – what’s next? The Scholarly Kitchen Blog. https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2020/08/27/sustainable-open-access-whats-next/ Oberländer, A., & Dreher, L. (2019, September 30). Jenseits von APC: Überblick über alternative Open-Access-Modelle. Open-Access-Tage 2019, Hannover. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3490737 Schönfelder, N. (2018). APCs—Mirroring the impact factor or legacy of the subscription-based model? Bielefeld University. https://doi.org/10.4119/UNIBI/2931061 Shamash, K. (2016). Article processing charges (APCs) and subscriptions: Monitoring open access costs. Jisc. https://www.jisc.ac.uk/sites/default/files/apc-and-subscriptions-report.pdf Tautz, D., Holzer, A., Schmidt, K. M., Buchner, J., Grötschel, M. & Jurburg, S. (2025). Ein neues Verfahren zur direkten Finanzierung und Evaluation wissenschaftlicher Zeitschriften. Diskussion Nr. 38, Halle (Saale): Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften Leopoldina. https://doi.org/10.26164/leopoldina_03_01261 Tobschall, E. (2021, October 27). ArXiv ist 30! TIB-Blog. https://blogs.tib.eu/wp/tib/2021/10/27/arxiv-ist-30/...
Intro Ten Reasons for Open Access Source: based on Brinken, H. (2021). 10 Gründe für Open Access. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4643859 ( CC BY 4.0 International ) The key takeaways from this article are 1 Open access and open science policies have been adopted at the science policy level and at the level of research institutions and research funders. 2 Research institutions can create their own open access policies in a modular way. 3 Central elements of an open access policy are: preamble, self-description, declarations of intent and rationale, recommendations for action, and references to technical and advisory services. Goals Among the measures to establish open access , open access policies are a much-used instrument, especially at the level of higher education institutions and non-university research institutions. Specifically, open access policies pursue the following objectives: to express support for the open access movement, to position the institution in the discourse on open access, and to encourage members of the institution to publish open access or deposit their publications in open access repositories. Activities and measures in the area of open access are increasingly embedded in the broader open science context. The present text first provides an overview of the main players in the research landscape and their guidelines. This is followed by concrete suggestions for drafting institutional open access policies. Policies of Important Players "Digital Information" Initiative by the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany At the science policy level in Germany, the major non-university research organisations, the German Rectors’ Conference , the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) , and the German Research Foundation (DFG) jointly established the "Digital Information" Initiative , also known as the Alliance Initiative. According to its mission statement , the initiative aims "to equip scientists with the best possible information infrastructure they need for their research" ( Steering Committee for the "Digital Informa­tion" Initiative of the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany, 2017, p. 2 ). Furthermore, it is actively committed to the further expansion of open access to scholarly knowledge. Moreover, within the framework of Projekt Deal , the Alliance Initiative has concluded joint nationwide licensing agreements with two major scholarly publishers to date, namely with Springer Nature in 2020 and with Wiley in 2019. Universities and Other Higher Education Institutions Numerous universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs) ha­ve adopted open access policies in the form of guidelines or recommen­dations. Many HEIs employ open access officers , who act as contact per­sons for all topics relating to open access, and who organise the imple­mentation of open access at the institution ( Hübner & Riesenweber, 2018 ). HEIs are largely autonomous. Within the framework of their higher education policies (digitalisation strategies, agreements on objectives, science plans, higher education legislation, etc.), many German federal states link financial support to open access. However, HEIs’ possibilities for imposing binding requirements on researchers are limited. Many HEIs therefore take the approach of promoting open access though informa­tion events and services, thereby encouraging researchers to publish open access or deposit their publications in open access repositories. Moreover, via publication funds for open access articles and open access monographs and edited collections, libraries can link the promotion of open access to certain conditions and thus establish quality standards ( Open-Access-Büro Berlin, 2020 ). Non-University Research Institutions Many non-university research institutions, such as the Max Planck Society, the Leibniz Association, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, and the Helmholtz Association, take a very concrete approach to the transition to open access ( Pampel, 2021, pp. 33 ff. ): The Max Planck Society describes itself as a "co-founder of the inter­national Open Access movement". In 2003, it published the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities , thereby initiating a process of follow-up conferences on open access and open science. The society also plays an important role in the global OA2020 Initiative . The Max Planck Society has anchored the commitment to open access in its Rules of Good Scientific Practice , which include the binding requirement that research results achieved with public funds should be made freely available wherever possible ( Max Planck Society, 2009, p. 2 ). Moreover, with the Max Planck Digital Library , the Max Planck Society operates an extensive information portal and supports its researchers’ open access publications with a publication fund. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft pursues a binding Fraunhofer Open Access Strategy 2020 , which states that "the goal for 2020 is to ensure that at least one half of all scientific papers in a year are published open access, with at least one third of these via the gold road where papers are first published in an open access journal" ( Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, 2015, p. 2 ). The Leibniz Association has also adopted a far-reaching open access policy , in which it not only expresses its commitment to open science but also sees itself as an active player in the further development of open research. Leibniz Association researchers are expected to publish open access and to play an active role in open access journals . When doing so, they are advised and supported by their respective Leibniz institutions. With the Helmholtz Open Science Office , the Helmholtz Association embeds the topic of open access in the broader open science context. In 2004, it became the first research association in Germany to adopt its own open access policy , which stated that: "Publications from the Helmholtz Association shall in future, without exception, be available free of charge as far as no conflicting agreement with publishers or others exist" ( Helmholtz-Association, 2004 ). Since 2013, this provision applies also to beneficiaries of funding from the Initiative and Networking Fund of the Helmholtz Association. In 2016, the Helmholtz Association formulated its Open Access Policy in concrete terms and set a target of 100% open access publications with effect from 2025. DFG as a Central Funding Institution The German Research Foundation (DFG) requests all funding recipients to publish their project results directly in open access. It has implemen­ted various funding lines to strengthen open access. By supporting researchers, libraries, institutions, and organisations, the DFG is the key player as far as the implementation and acceleration of the transition to open access in Germany is concerned. The DFG signed the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities in 2003, and requests funding recipients to publish their project results open access for the purpose of scientifically adequate communication. Specifically, the contributions should either be published in peer-reviewed and/or renowned open access journals or on open access platforms, or deposited, if possible without delay, in repositories in addition to traditional publication with a publisher ( German Research Foundation, 2021, pp. 42–43 ). The DFG rejects a general open access mandate such as that pursued in Plan S because it fears that this could lead to higher article processing charges (APCs). Moreover, it considers that a move away from the Journal Impact Factor , which is called for in Plan S, would involve fundamental changes to the system by which research outputs are assessed, which would not be possible without major upheavals ( German Research Foundation, 2018 ). For these reasons, the DFG is not participating in cOAlition S, although it supports the efforts of the initiative in principle. Professional Associations A number of professional associations also endorsed open access and open science at an early stage. Especially worthy of mention is the Initiative for Electronic Information and Communication (IuK-Initiative), which was established in Germany in 1994. In the early stage of digital transformation, the IuK-Initiative promoted the building of a virtual and digital library and advocated a science-friendly amendment of German copyright law ( Weisel, 2012 ). Several professional associations can also be found among the signato­ries of the Berlin Declaration: the German Mathematical Society (DMV) (2005), the German Informatics Society (GI) (2007), the German Society for Pre- and Protohistory (DGUF) (2016), and the German Psychological Society (DGPs) (2017). As early as 1998, the German Physical Society (DPG) founded an open access journal, the New Journal of Physics . The DPG is thus one of the pioneers of open access publishing in Germany. However, the majority of professional associations are only slowly engaging with open access, and they are doing so under pressure from international developments (especially Plan S ). Only a few professional societies have adopted open access policies of their own. In the course of the further development of the transition to open access, the discussion within the professional associations will possibly increase in importance – not least because many of them are considering converting their own journals to open access ( Pampel & Strecker, 2020 ). Creating a Policy Implementing Open Access Find an introduction here. Policy Frameworks Find an introduction here. Open Access Policy Making The purpose of open access policy-making is to initiate a process of self-aware­ness that will ideally result in the adoption of a policy. During this process, players in an institution take a position on open access, and then develop a common position. With the help of dedicated policies, institutions can document the fact that they are taking a position in the current transformation of science communication. The prerequisite for the success of a policy-making process is therefore the participation of all relevant actors in the institution based on an effective concept of internal communication. open-access.network ( CC BY 4.0 International ) Policy-Making Process A model proposed by Howlett and Ramesh (2009, p. 91 et seq.) distinguishes five stages of policy-making: agenda setting, policy formulation, decision making, implementation, and evaluation. For the process of creating an open access policy, the following steps can be derived from this model: Problem identification The introduction of a new policy, or the amendment or expansion of an existing policy, occurs in response to needs, problems, conflicts, or current developments in the institutional environment. It is helpful to analyse these context factors in order to formulate arguments for setting the agenda and to anticipate opposition to the policy-making process. Even at this early stage, thought can be given to the organisation of the process. Agenda setting The support of persons in executive positions is enlisted for the project. The steering and coordination of the process can be taken on by a body, a working group, or an individual. Further relevant groups of actors are informed, and arguments for a policy-making process put forward. The planned process is transparently presented. Formulation and decision making A policy document is formulated (see below) and repeatedly reviewed, supplemented, and/or amended in consultation with the competent institutional bodies and other stakeholders. Once all desired changes have been accepted, or rejected with proper justification, the version of the document that is ready for adoption makes its way through the competent bodies. After the incorporation of the resulting amendments, the policy is finally adopted. Communication and evaluation The policy will produce effective results only if the recommendations and requests for action are disseminated via numerous other channels after the official publication of the policy document. Attention should be drawn to the revised or newly created policy in newsletters, on websites, on appropriate occasions, and at meetings. A transparent presentation of the policy process is desirable, including the provision of a "clean" version of the policy document in which changes have been implemented, and a link to the final version (i.e. the version that is ready for adoption) on the web pages of the competent organisational unit (e.g. open access office, university library). The impact of an open access policy can be quantified with the help of suitable monitoring tools, for example in research information systems or on publication data management platforms. Although this linear presentation of the policy-making process diverges considerably from the discontinuous and conflict-ridden processes in the real world of academia, it may be helpful for planning purposes. Provisos Recommendations for action may be made sub­ject to provisos. Justifications cited may include freedom of science or discipline-specific publishing cultures. Example Wording "With due regard to the constitutionally protected freedom of research and tea­ching and the freedom to choose the publication medium and venue that results therefrom, and taking into account the different statuses of open access in the various disciplinary cultures, the JGU makes the following recommendations for the transition to open access." - Open Access Policy of Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz Technical services Mention of technical infrastructures for open access publishing provided by the institution or by third parties. These include inter alia reposito­ries for publications, research data, and code; systems for publication data management; metadata services; controlling instruments; research information systems; open journal platforms; research data management systems, etc. Example Wording "The university supports the findability and dissemination, and thus the visibility, of scholarly texts through the following measures: download option and statistics on the university’s research portal download option on the institution’s web pages via Pure Plugins provision of bibliographic data for literature search engines and catalogues (LUX; BASE; GVK etc.) publication of theses (dissertations and habilitation theses)" - Open Access Strategy of Leuphana Universität Lüneburg Advisory services Mention of publishing advisory services for scholars and scientists, journal editors, and publishers, as well as other services to support open access publishing offered by the institution Example Wording "Information events, workshops, tutorials, and individual consultations on open access are conducted regularly by the Open Access Team." - Open Access Policy of Chemnitz University Library Final clause Example Wording "If individual provisions of this policy should be invalid or unfeasible after the policy comes into effect, the finality of the policy will be unaffected in all other respects." - Open Access Policy of the Helmholtz Association, 2016 Date, signatories, reference to the official policy document in the version put to the vote, PDF download option Footer Contact data, references, further links Rights Retention Strategy An explicit rights retention strategy can be a meaningful element of an open access policy. An overview of the landscape of rights-retention-strategy practices in Europe, including recommendations for institutional policymakers, research funders, legislators, and publishers can be found in Labastida et al. (2023) . Structure & Content Open access policies include the following elements: Header Seal of the institution; title of the document; if applicable, reference to the corresponding resolution in the official version Preamble Preliminary remarks that explain the societal, political, or scientific context of the open access policy and refer to the self-image of the institution Example Wording "Innovation is impossible unless resear­chers are able to share new knowledge as soon as it has been established. In its capa­city as a publicly funded organization, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has a duty to in­form the general public about its research activities. At the same time, industrial part­ners have a need for information that will allow them to find appropriate partners for their projects. Consequently, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft pursues a publishing policy based on unre­stricted access to information, as defined in the 2003 Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities." - Open Access Policy der Fraunenhofer- Gesellschaft Self-description (if not included in the preamble) A characterisation of the institution from which the consonance of its goals and function with an open access culture is derived. The mission statement of the institution possibly contains statements from which wording can be taken. Example Wording "The University of Regensburg stands, among other things, for the exchange of knowledge and culture between the cultural regions of Eastern and Western Europe and North America, for dialogue with society, for a cosmopolitan university culture, and for long-term international relations in research, teaching, and study (Mission statement of the University of Regensburg, as of 5 Oct. 2007)." - Open Access Policy of the University of Regensburg Definitions Conceptual definition of open access and/or a brief overview of the historical context that demonstrates the importance of the topic for the activities of institution’s members Example Wording "Open Access stands for unlimited and free access to quality-controlled scholarly infor­mation on the internet. Thanks to the eli­mination of technical, financial, and legal barriers, Open Access has helped to acce­lerate academic innovation processes and to improve the visibility of research results. This supports scholars in their research and publishing and maximises the benefit of publicly funded research. As a member of the Leibniz Association, Technische Infor­mationsbibliothek (TIB) – German National Library of Science and Technology is committed to Open Access." - Open Access Policy of the Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB) References Reference to previous declarations and initiatives, commonalities, and, if applicable, obligations of the institution resulting therefrom Example Wording "Leibniz University Hannover supports the scientific and political request for open access to knowledge in the sciences and humanities, as determined in the ‘Berlin Declaration’ issued October 2003 and the “Berlin 3 Open Access” recommendation confirmed March 2005, in Southampton, UK." - Open Access Resolution of Leibniz University Hannover Rationale Rationale for the support for open access that the policy aims to achieve. The rationale is formulated from the perspective of the institution or from a superordinate perspective. Example Wording "In view of its responsibility for compre­hensive access to academic knowledge, Heidelberg University is pressing ahead to expand open access." - Open Access Policy of the University of Heidelberg Declarations of intent Mention of the goals in the area of open access that the institution has set itself. These goals may include the provision of a suitable organisational, financial, and technical infrastructure for open access publishing; the achievement of a certain percentage of open access publications within a specified time limit; the implementation of further higher education policy measures; and participa­tion in transition processes and other, trans-institutional developments. In addition, the equal consideration of peer-reviewed open access publications in agreements on objectives and in performance-related funding award procedures, and the implementation of measures for internal communication (tutorials, open access officers) can be laid down. Example Wording "When assessing scholarly performance, the University of Kassel will treat peer-re­viewed contributions equally, irrespective of whether the contributions are fee-based or open access. […] Moreover, pursuant to its Research Data Guideline, the University of Kassel will offer to also make research data that arise or are collected in the con­text of scientific work openly accessible. The University of Kassel will seek to make publications produced at the university a­vailable on a large scale on the university’s publication server, KOBRA9, which will fa­cilitate the optimal findability, authenticity, integrity, and persistent citability of these publications." - Open Access-Policy of the University of Kassel "The MLU supports and advises scholars and scientists on publishing scholarly works in open access formats, and also on making works available to the public via independent publishing channels. This requires regular training and information offerings for both researchers and staff. Adequate formats will be developed for this purpose and regularly implemented. The MLU will establish instruments to support researchers with publication costs within a certain financial framework. In particular, it will establish a publication fund and create the prerequisites for the acquisition of further funding for this purpose." - Open Access Policy of the Martin-Luther-Universität (MLU) Halle-Wittenberg Recommendations for action, requests, or mandates for publishing authors The levels of obligation of the wording may vary. They range from recommendations for action, through requests, to mandates. Options for action include among other things: Research and teaching in accordance with the aims of open science, open access, and open education The publication of research results and scho­larly publications in an open access format The self-archiving of research results or scholarly publications on an institutional document server or in a repository either in parallel with publication or after expiry of an embargo period Publication under open licences , such as Creative Commons licences Inclusion of publication costs in applications for third-party funding Securing of a lasting right of exploitation vis-à-vis publishers Avoidance of granting publishers an exclusive right of use Involvement as a reviewer and editor in peer-reviewed open access journals or commit­ment to a progressive open access policy on the part of publishers For managers: a recommendation to staff that they explore the possibility of publishing research results in peer-reviewed open access formats Example Wording 1 "In order to anchor openness in teaching and research lastingly at the TUHH, we recommend all TUHH members to actively pursue the objectives of Open Science, Open Access and Open Education." - Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) Policy of Openness in Research and Teaching 2 "Therefore, Humboldt-Universität recommends all scientists to submit their articles to Open Access journals and to publish monographs and collected works on Open Access platforms." - Open Access Declaration of the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin 3 "Ruhr University Bochum requests its mem­bers to self-archive an electronic copy of all peer-reviewed published articles on an open access document server (green open access) insofar as there are no legal objections to doing so." - Open Access Resolution of Ruhr University Bochum 4 "TU Braunschweig recommends its authors to use open publication licences that pro­mote dissemination in open access (prefe­rably a Creative Commons CC BY licence)." - Guideline on Open Access at the Technische Universität (TU) Braunschweig 5 "The funding regulations of many third-party funders allow funds for article pro­cessing charges (APCs) to be included in the project budget when submitting a funding proposal. Moreover, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has established a Post-Grant Fund to support open access publications resulting from completed BMBF-funded projects. It is strongly advisable to make use of such possibilities when planning and conducting third-party-funded projects." - Open Access at the University of Greifswald 6 "When negotiating with publishers, resear­chers are encouraged to secure the right to self-archive electronic versions as provided for in the guidelines of the German Re­search Foundation (DFG) and other research funders." - Open Access Strategy of the Leuphana Universität Lüneburg 7 "When publishing in a closed-access publi­cation, Reutlingen University recommends [its members] to forgo granting exclusive rights of use and to retain a non-exclusive right to make [their works] available to the public, so that they may self-archive [them] in Reutlingen University’s repository." - Open Access Policy of Reutlingen University 8 "As a scholarly author, you often work also as a reviewer or editor for scholarly jour­nals. Please take note of publishers‘ pricing policies towards customers and, if applic­able, work for better open access policies on the part of the publishers." - Open Access Policy of the University of Göttingen 9 "In their capacity as leaders, researchers at the Technische Universität München are specifically requested to also allow their employees to publish in accordance with open access." - Technische Universität München (TUM) Open Access Policy References Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. (2015). Fraunhofer Open Access-Strategie 2020 . https://www.openaccess.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/openaccess/de/documents/Fraunhofer-Open-Access-Strategie-2020.pdf German Research Foundation (DFG). (2018). DFG statement on the establishment of “cOAlition S” to support open access . Information for Researchers No. 56. https://www.dfg.de/en/research_funding/announcements_proposals/2018/info_wissenschaft_18_56/index.html German Research Foundation (DFG). (2021). Verwendungsrichtlinien. Allgemeine Bedingungen für Förderverträge mit der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft e.V. (DFG) . https://www.dfg.de/formulare/2_00/v/dfg_2_00_de_v0121.pdf Helmholtz Association. (2004). Decision on the implementation of the Berlin Declaration . https://os.helmholtz.de/en/open-science-in-the-helmholtz-association/eng-open-access/open-access-policies/ Howlett, M., Ramesh, M., & Perl, A. (2009). Studying public policy : policy cycles & policy subsystems (3rd edition). Oxford University Press. Hübner, A., & Riesenweber, C. (2018). Datentabelle Inhalte der Open-Access-Policies deutscher Hochschulen . Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1291855 Labastida i Juan, I., Melinščak Zlodi, I., Proudman, V., & Treadway, J. (2023). Opening knowledge: retaining rights and open licensing in Europe . SPARC Europe. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8084051 Max Planck Society. (2009). Rules of good scientific practice . https://www.mpg.de/16404553/rules-scientific-practice.pdf Open-Access-Büro Berlin. (2020). Empfehlung: Förderbedingungen für die Publikationsfonds für Monografien und Sammelbände an den Berliner Universitäten . Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4110229 Pampel, H. (2021). Strategische und operative Handlungsoptionen für wissenschaftliche Einrichtungen zur Gestaltung der Open-Access-Transformation . Philosophische Fakultät der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. https://doi.org/10.18452/22946 Pampel, H., & Strecker, D. (2020). Wissenschaftliche Fachgesellschaften und Open Access in Deutschland. Bericht . https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_5000001_1/component/file_5000002/content Steering Committee for the “Digital Information” Initiative of the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany. (2017). S haping digital information in science. “Digital Information” Initiative by the Alliance of Science Organisations in Germany. Mission Statement 2018–2022 . https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/faces/ViewItemOverviewPage.jsp?itemId=item_2829904 Weisel, L. (2012). Interview zur Auflösung der IuK-Initiative Wissenschaft. LIBREAS. Library Ideas , 20 . https://libreas.eu/ausgabe20/texte/01weisel.htm Further Reading Angelaki, M. (2021). Model Policy on Open Science for Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) . Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4666050 Canadian Association of Research Libraries. (2020). CARL Institutional Open Access Policy Template and Toolkit . https://www.carl-abrc.ca/oa-policy-template-and-toolkit/ Harvard Open Access Project (HOAP). (2021). Good practices for university open-access policies . Cyber.Harvard.Edu. https://cyber.harvard.edu/hoap/Good_practices_for_university_open-access_policies Macquarie University. (n.d.). Resources for Writing, Reviewing, and Developing Policy Documents . https://policies.mq.edu.au/resources.php OpenAIRE. (n.d.). Toolkit for Policy Makers on Open Science and Open Access . OpenAIRE.Eu. https://www.openaire.eu/toolkit-for-policy-makers-on-open-science-and-open-access PASTEUR4OA (n.d.). OA Policy Alignment Checklist. http://www.pasteur4oa.eu/resources/154#.YR9wp44zY2y University rights-retention OA policies. (2023, December 21). In Open access directory (OAD) [wiki]. https://oad.simmons.edu/oadwiki/University_rights-retention_OA_policies...