3 August 2021
Jisc’s OpenDOAR (Directory of Open Access Repositories) has launched a self-assessment feature for repository staff that allows them to check whether their repository meets the six Plan S requirements for repositories.
Repository staff will each have their own account for their repository (or repositories) where they can make unlimited self-assessments to see how their repository fares against the Plan S requirements.
The new feature offers clear explanations for each of the six requirements and guidance on how to fulfil them, as well as good practice tips.
Azhar Hussain, head of product in Jisc’s open research team, comments: “We are delighted to offer OpenDOAR users an easy way to check how their repository meets the Plan S principles that are now part of most funder requirements. The new feature will also offer guidance on good practice and will provide clarity on the criteria and how to best implement them.”
Johan Rooryck, executive director of cOAlition S, says:“cOAlition S identifies Open Access via repositories as one of its three routes to compliance with Plan S. Repositories play a vital role in enabling access to research articles and in furthering Open Science. cOAlition S warmly welcomes the launch of Jisc’s OpenDOAR self-assessment feature as an indispensable tool to assist repository owners in meeting Plan S requirements while aiding development of improved and innovative repository functionality”.
Led by cOAlition S, an international consortium of research funding and performing organisations, Plan S is an initiative for open access publishing which aims to speed up the transition toward open access.
With effect from 2021, Plan S requires that all scholarly publications resulting from research that was funded by public or private grants provided by national, regional, and international research councils and funding bodies, must be published in open access journals, on open access platforms, or made immediately available through open access repositories without embargo.
Repositories are a key facilitator for open research, and the requirements put forward in Plan S serve to ensure repositories work towards excellent standards to positively represent the research they hold.
OpenDOAR is the world’s largest, quality-assured global directory of open access repositories, which provide free, open access to academic outputs and resources. OpenDOAR provides a single point of entry to the repository community, be it through its public-facing listings or its facilitation of open access research output harvesting by global open access aggregators (such as CORE).
OpenDOAR’s mission is to represent the repository community fairly and widely. By offering support and a community base, Jisc wants to aid repositories in building high standards and broadening their impact.