We at scidecode are proud to announce that our bid in response to the ITT that cOAlition S put out last July for conducting a study to assess the impact of Plan S has been successful. We are delighted to be able to collaborate in the exploration of what Plan S has meant for the ongoing progress towards 100% immediate Open Access and to look into what OA implementation may look like in the future.
The overarching aim of this study is to provide an analysis of the likely progress towards full and immediate open access had Plan S not existed and estimate what contribution this initiative has made to the changing scholarly communication ecosystem. To answer this question scidecode will follow a multifaceted approach, encompassing both quantitative econometrics and a qualitative methodology based on desk research, a comprehensive literature analysis, and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders.
Regarding the quantitative analysis, we will explore the different routes to OA that Plan S supports – fully OA publishing, Read & Publish agreements, Rights Retention policies and Diamond Open Access etc – to assess their impact. This analysis will be considered from both a global perspective – including regions where cOAlition S has no or little footprint – and from the perspective of policy compliance amongst researchers funded by cOAlition S members.
All members of the scidecode team that will carry out this analysis of the impact of Plan S (see image below) currently work for universities and research institutes in different European countries. We believe this insider knowledge of the international Open Access implementation landscape will make a difference when assessing the way the OA landscape is evolving. Very much in the spirit of previous work we have conducted, we will discuss Plan S and TAs with professionals from various provenances, including – but not limited to – institutional Open Access advocates, consortium negotiators, research funders, policymakers, ECRs, researchers sitting in editorial boards for journals and publishers. We particularly want to talk to representatives from the Global South given that inequality is sometimes mentioned as a challenge when examining the design of Plan S.
We are also looking forward to preparing a set of recommendations for cOAlition S (and other stakeholders) on how to build on the achievements of Plan S. There may be best practices worth highlighting in the way Plan S is being implemented in specific countries and this could help achieve a more efficient and harmonised OA implementation.
This study is expected to be completed by June 2024. As outputs become available, they will be shared on the cOAlition S website. Watch this space.
ORCID: 0000-0001-6300-1033
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