Advancing Open Science Through Institutional Strategies, Open Access to Conference Proceedings and an Action Plan on Diamond Open Access

From CEASAR:

The leading universities of Science and Technology (S&T) united within CESAER today publish the following two white papers:

• Successful implementation of Open Access strategies at Universities of S&T
• Open Access and conference papers in engineering disciplines

These aim to inspire and inform readers on two key topics for universities of S&T, contain specific proposals and recommendations and are written and published ad personam.

In addition, our Board of Directors has decided to add the endorsement of our association for the

• Action Plan for Diamond Open Access.

Simone Rehm (Co-Chair of Task Force Openness of Science & Technology and Vice Rector for Information Technology at University of Stuttgart) said:

“Strengthening open science is high on our agenda. We are therefore pleased to be launching a package of measures today to promote Open Access: The publication of two comprehensive working papers that address very specific issues technical universities face in implementing Open Access, as well as the endorsement of our association to the Action Plan for Diamond Open Access. This package is the outcome of substantial efforts in our association and beyond, and I extend my gratitude to all contributors to the two papers, and to our partners and friends in Science Europe, cOAlition S, OPERAS, and the French National Research Agency (ANR) for leading the development of the Action Plan for Diamond Open Access.”

Pablo de Castro (Lead author for ‘Successful implementation of Open Access strategies at Universities of S&T’, member of Task Force Openness of Science & Technology and Open Access Advocacy Librarian at University of Strathclyde) said:

“By examining the positions achieved by CESAER member institutions represented in our Open Access Working Group 2019-2020 in the 2019, 2020 and 2021 editions of the CWTS Leiden Open Access ranking, and especially the evolution of such positions, we have identified factors that contribute to successful institutional Open Access implementation. While the analysis focus on Members that were represented in the Open Access Working Group 2019-2020, this Open Access ranking is based on the percentage of institutional publications which is openly available, and other institutions are therefore able to check their own rank, and explore these factors themselves as potential levers and mechanisms for improvement”

Anna Rovira Fernandez (Lead author ‘Open Access and conference papers in engineering disciplines’, member of Task Force Openness of Science & Technology and Head of Research Library Services at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) said:

“As a follow-up to our association’s statement expressing its support for further strengthening Open Science and Open Access in Horizon Europe, we have explored how large the fraction of conference papers is against the total number of research outputs and how often they are being published Open Access. We present a number of recommendations intended to inspire and to increase the accessibility and mid- and long-term visibility for the conference proceeding, a highly relevant output in the field of science and technology which deserves more attention in the discussions around Open Access.

Marco Tullney (Member of Task Force Openness of Science & Technology and Head of Publishing Services at Technische Informationsbibliothek (TIB)/Leibniz University Hannover) said:

“In line with our previous position on the need for APC-free open access models, CESAER endorses the Action Plan for Diamond Open Access. Open access journals that do not charge authors or their institutions reduce barriers to publish. These journals should be considered at least in the same way as APC-based journals when it comes to the use of public funds, such as for (research) library budgets. Therefore, they need to be able to publish just as reliably, just as sustainably, and just as professionally as high-quality commercial journals. Diamond open access journals face some specific challenges that the action plan addresses. Implementing the plan will help journals to foster and to develop their full potential. Adapting standards and creating sustainability are essential elements of this development.”

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Conference Presentations, Funding, Journal Articles, Libraries, News, Open Access, Publishing