9 March 2021
OASPA is pleased to announce the publication of an in-depth report and associated recommendations arising from a study of open access journals across the world that are free for readers and authors, usually referred to as “OA diamond journals”.
Funded by Science Europe and commissioned by cOAlition S in order to gain a better understanding of the OA diamond landscape, the publication of the study is the culmination of work undertaken from June 2020 to February 2021 by a consortium of 10 organisations (including OASPA) led by OPERAS. The study uncovers a vast archipelago of up to 29,000 journals, most of which (60%) are in the humanities and social sciences, serving the needs of multiple scientific communities across the world.
Using the results from a widely disseminated survey that was translated into 6 languages, together with focus groups and direct outreach to target journals and platforms, the study examines the core areas which are critical for OA diamond journals to operate, encompassing everything from legal structures and governance to technical capabilities, editorial processes and funding models.
The group used statistical analysis of bibliographic databases, responses from over 1,600 journals, collected more than 7,000 free text submissions and other data from 94 questions, and organised three focus groups with 11 journals and 10 interviews with hosting platforms. The results of the study uncover a number of challenges faced by diamond journals which are presented at length in a findings report published today.
Particular difficulties around areas such as licenses, content preservation and persistent identifiers are highlighted. More generally, in spite of scientific quality, many journals face operational challenges and rely heavily on volunteering. There is a need to develop infrastructure and to increase funding to support their operations.
In line with the objectives set by cOAlition S, the separately published recommendations have been based on an extensive study of the data gathered. The analysis presented by the group in the report points to clearly defined areas in which research funding organisations, institutions, societies and infrastructures can focus in order to strengthen and sustain OA diamond journals and the ecosystem in which they operate, as well as assisting these journals in compliance with open access policies such as Plan S.
The group recommends to kick start an action plan to support diamond journals by organising an international symposium in six months, setting up a funding plan in one year and creating a capacity center in two years.
Additional materials are shared with the community for further research and reuse: the study dataset, the references library, and the crowdsourced non-DOAJ Journals Inventory.
The study group intends to engage with the community in the coming weeks to initiate fruitful discussions about how the OA diamond sector could be better coordinated and supported. Coming events and updates will be announced on this web page: https://www.operas-eu.org/the-oa-diamond-journals-study