Open access publishing - thanks in part to a publication fund, more and more Oldenburg academics are utilising this method. The university has just submitted a follow-up application to the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Open Access stands for free and direct access to scientific results on the Internet. Anyone who publishes a document under Open Access conditions authorises anyone to read, download, save, link to and use it free of charge. The core idea is that the results of publicly funded research should also be publicly accessible.
For some years now, the DFG has been promoting open access publishing by financing so-called publication funds. The university has been participating in this programme since 2016 and the follow-up application for the next two years has just been submitted. In 2016, 70 publications were funded with around 50,000 euros. The Presidential Board covered the costs of publications that exceeded the amount requested from the fund. "We are very pleased with the result," says Library Director Hans-Joachim Wätjen. The university has already had a guideline in place for two years which recommends that academics publish in peer-reviewed open access journals.
From subscriptions to publication fees
For several decades, scientists and librarians have been complaining about the so-called journal crisis in the natural sciences, technical and medical subjects (STM subjects). "The market is currently in a state of upheaval: the classic model still dominates, in which subscriptions and licences from libraries generate sales and exorbitant returns of 35 percent and more for STM publishers," says Wätjen. Open access publishing financed by authors and their institutions could reduce costs in the system in future. This is also the aim of the international OA2020 initiative, which is based at the Max Planck Society.
In the meantime, numerous publishers and scientific societies have expanded their range of open access journals. They charge article processing charges to finance the publication of an article. There are currently over 9,000 quality-checked journals listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
Sustainably promoting open access
Since the DFG funding became available, many Oldenburg academics have contacted the university library with questions about applying for and receiving funding support. "We offer professional publication advice," says Open Access Officer Kim Braun. There is a lot to consider - in any case, it must be checked whether the Open Access journal selected by the authors fulfils the DFG's strict funding criteria. "For example, the publication or article processing charges must not exceed 2,000 euros and the journal must publish exclusively Open Access," emphasises Braun.
The University Library is also anticipating good demand for funding from the publication fund for the hoped-for second funding phase from 2018 to 2019.
