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- Five years after its launch, Robert-Jan Smits calls on the scientific community to remain committed to Plan S.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/p>\nIn an opinion piece<\/a> for Research Professional News<\/a>, Robert-Jan Smits emphasises the importance of adhering to Plan S<\/a>, the revolutionary initiative launched in 2018 by cOAlition S<\/a> to ensure that publications resulting from publicly funded research are immediately available for all to read. He highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic saw a significant rise in open access publishing, fostering hope that this ‘new normal’ could be sustained. However, despite these initial gains, the journey towards full open access remains slow.<\/p>\n
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Despite initial gains, the journey towards full open access remains slow.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Key achievements:<\/p>\n
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- cOAlition S has grown to include 25 organisations, including the World Health Organization<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy<\/a> adopted an open access policy closely aligned with Plan S principles.<\/li>\n
- Transformative agreements<\/a> between academic institutions and publishers were conceived to speed up commitment to immediate open access.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Despite these successes, significant challenges persist:<\/p>\n
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- 61% of scientific papers published each year remain behind paywalls.<\/li>\n
- Persistent myths equate open access with low-quality, predatory journals.<\/li>\n
- Academic libraries struggle with the shift from \u2018pay to read\u2019 to \u2018pay to publish\u2019.<\/li>\n
- Article processing charges (APCs) are often prohibitive.<\/li>\n
- Some journals have been too slow<\/a> in transitioning to open access.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Smits argues for a hard 2024 deadline for transformative agreements to deliver results. He suggests capping APCs to control costs and advocates for transparency in publishing expenses.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Smits is concerned that the course may be changing and fears that initiatives such as diamond open access<\/a> and not-for-profit open access publishing platforms<\/a> will not facilitate the significant shifts needed to make full open access a reality.<\/p>\n
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- The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy<\/a> adopted an open access policy closely aligned with Plan S principles.<\/li>\n
- cOAlition S has grown to include 25 organisations, including the World Health Organization<\/a>.<\/li>\n
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