Advancing Global Open Science: Key Outcomes from OECD's Ministerial Meeting - During a pivotal OECD ministerial meeting on science and technology policies held on 23-24 April 2024 in Paris, key global leaders, including the French Minister for Higher Education and Research, convened and put forward a joint action program in Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI). The discussions, enriched by a diverse multi-stakeholder dialogue, emphasized the central role of open science in fostering transparent and responsible international scientific cooperation. France reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing open science, advocating for international collaboration through initiatives like the Global Research Initiative on Open Science (GRIOS) and the Open Science Monitoring Initiative (OSMI). These initiatives aim to address critical gaps in open science metrics and understanding, marking a significant step towards realizing its full potential for societal benefit.
The entire Editorial Team of Philosophy & Public Affairs Resigns to Start a Diamond Open Access Journal - In a recent move, the complete editorial team of the Wiley-owned journal Philosophy & Public Affairs, including all executive and associate editors, resigned on Wednesday. Citing long-standing issues with the commercialization of academic publishing, they announced the creation of a new "diamond" open-access journal supported by The Open Library of Humanities. It will be free for both readers and authors, set to begin accepting submissions in September. The move reflects a growing concern among academics over access inequalities and the pressures of the profit-driven publishing model, emphasizing the need for a more equitable approach to disseminating research.
Springer Nature Strikes Open Access Deals with Korean Institutions - Springer Nature inks two separate open access deals with the Seoul National University and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. These agreements will allow researchers affiliated with these two institutions to publish open access articles with fees covered in journals across the Springer Nature portfolio. As part of the agreement, researchers will be able to read, use, and reuse research published in over 2,000 Springer Nature journals across the Springer, Palgrave Macmillan, and Adis, and in the Academic Journals on nature.com. Starting 01 January 2024, both the agreements will run through 31 December 2026.
COS Launches SMART Project to Automate Trustworthiness Assessments in Research
- The Center for Open Science (COS), in collaboration with researchers from the University of Melbourne and Pennsylvania State University, has launched the SMART project to automate confidence evaluation of research claims. Building on the SCORE program, this project will blend human and AI assessments to evaluate the trustworthiness of research papers, providing valuable feedback to authors. Supported by a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant, SMART aims to enhance automated scoring algorithms, generate more data, and invite researchers to contribute by submitting their papers for evaluation.
ResearchGate and PLOS Form a Partnership to Boost Open Access Content - ResearchGate, the professional network for researchers, and PLOS, a leader in nonprofit Open Access publishing, have announced a new partnership to increase the visibility and reach of PLOS journals through ResearchGate's Journal Home offering. Over 300,000 full-text articles from PLOS's extensive catalog will be accessible on ResearchGate, enhancing interaction with its network of over 25 million researchers. This collaboration not only makes PLOS content more accessible but also integrates articles into authors' ResearchGate profiles, fostering deeper community connections and increasing the impact of their work.
MIT Press Reports Significant Impact of 'Direct to Open' Program - The MIT Press has released a report on the success of its 'Direct to Open' (D2O) initiative, which has transformed access to academic monographs by shifting to a library-supported open access model. Since its launch in 2021, D2O has funded 240 books across humanities and social sciences and STEAM, resulting in increased usage and citations, significantly higher than paywalled counterparts. The program, praised for making scholarly works more accessible and engaging worldwide, continues to expand, inviting more libraries and consortia to join as it moves into 2025.
DFG Launches New Program to Enhance Research Software Infrastructures in Germany - The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) has announced a new funding program to support the development, establishment, and organization of research software infrastructures across Germany. Open to researchers and members of research information infrastructure facilities, the program seeks to improve the handling of research software and foster a community-based structure nationwide. With proposals accepted until November 4, 2024, for this cycle, the ongoing program will allow submissions twice yearly starting in 2025.
Nature Journal Staff Ballot for Strike Over Pay Dispute with Springer Nature - UK staff working on the prestigious Nature portfolio of journals, including the leading science magazine Nature, are balloting for industrial action due to a pay dispute with Springer Nature. Despite the publisher reporting substantial profits in its latest annual report, talks have broken down, leading nearly 400 staff members to reject a 5.8% pay increase as insufficient amidst rising living costs. This marks the first ballot for industrial action since the early 1990s for Nature magazine, highlighting the growing discontent among employees over wage stagnation and increased living expenses.
DORA Introduces New Guidelines to Enhance Fairness in Research Assessment - The Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) has launched a new guidance document to help the community use quantitative indicators like the h-index, citation counts, and altmetrics in responsible research evaluation. This document builds on DORA's initial principles to address the complexities and potential misuses of such metrics, promoting clarity, transparency, specificity, contextuality, and fairness in assessments. Developed with input from an international cohort of bibliometricians and assessment experts, the guidance encourages nuanced application and continuous feedback to further improve research evaluation practices.
University of California Strikes Transformative Open Access Deal with Wiley - Starting January 1, 2024, the University of California, in partnership with the Statewide California Electronic Library Consortium (SCELC), has launched a three-year open access agreement with Wiley. This agreement establishes open access publishing as the default for UC corresponding authors in Wiley journals, offering a 15% discount on article processing charges and automatic contributions towards these fees. Additionally, the deal ensures unlimited reading access across all ten UC campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, furthering UC's mission to enhance global access to research and maintain affordability in scholarly publishing.
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