sOApbox

A platform for ideas to make full and immediate Open Access a reality

The sOApbox is the official blog of cOAlition S featuring opinions, interviews and how-tos on the path towards the implementation of Plan S and aligned initiatives. It aims to inform and inspire both the research and publishing world on the necessity of full and immediate Open Access and to pave the way towards achieving this.

The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors. The blog is moderated by the cOAlition S office and is open to contributions in line with the mission of Plan S and cOAlition S. Johan Rooryck, Executive Director of cOAlition S, acts as its editor-in-chief.

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• Protecting High-Quality Scholarship through Fair Open Access: Reflections on the OA Diamond Journals Study

  The OA Diamond Journals Study Report is a fantastic resource for anybody interested in open Access, and particularly for researchers and scholarly {...}

  Opinions

  13.05.2021

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• Opportunities-in-waiting

  The recently-published OA Diamond Journals Study is something I have been looking forward to reading for a long time. Looking at the results, it's {...}

  Opinions

  06.04.2021

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• Diamond Mining

  Diamond. The term is made to do a lot of work. Used in open-access publishing circles to refer to modes in which neither the author nor the reader {...}

  Opinions

  31.03.2021

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• Reflections on the OA Diamond Journals Study

  Earlier this month, cOAlition S and Science Europe published an in-depth study of diamond open access journals, so called because they charge neither {...}

  Opinions

  30.03.2021

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• cOAlition S response to the STM statement: the Rights Retention Strategy restores long-standing academic freedoms

  The statement published earlier today (3rd February) by the STM Association and signed by a number of its members (and a number of non-members), {...}

  Opinions

  03.02.2021

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• Don’t believe the hype: repositories are critical for ensuring equity, inclusion and sustainability in the transition to open access

  The rhetoric of some scholarly publishers lately has shown a troublesome trend with respect to Open Access repositories (often referred to as Green {...}

  Opinions

  29.01.2021

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• Repositories as key links in the cOAlition S Rights Retention Strategy • cOAlition S and repositories (part III)

  In the previous blogs, I covered Plan S and the requirements for repositories, and the benefits of deposit & dissemination of research findings {...}

  Opinions

  21.01.2021

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• The many benefits of repositories • cOAlition S and repositories (part II)

  In the previous blog, I examined the cOAlition S mandate for depositing copies of articles in repositories. One of the main drivers for this {...}

  Opinions

  12.01.2021

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• cOAlition S funders’ repository requirements: unity in diversity • cOAlition S and repositories (part I)

  When Plan S was launched in 2018, it gained a reputation as a Gold Open Access (OA) initiative focused on paying for Article Processing Charges {...}

  Opinions

  07.01.2021

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• Open Access and Plan S: 5 key facts about Wellcome’s OA policy

  As the chimes of Big Ben welcomed in 2021, Wellcome’s Plan S-aligned Open Access (OA) policy came into effect. This updated policy will {...}

  Policies

  02.01.2021

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• A model Open Access journal for researchers, practitioners and patients

  Having worked to promote openness of research findings for some considerable time, it’s great to come across examples that illustrate why you’re {...}

  Opinions

  22.12.2020

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• “It’s hard to explain why this is taking so long”

   - The following post was originally published on the scilog – the magazine of the Austrian Science Fund FWF -    Interview: Ingrid {...}

  Interviews

  11.12.2020

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• Does the rise of immediate green Open Access undermine progress? A response from cOAlition S to the OASPA open post

   - The following post was originally published on the OASPA blog available here -    We thank OASPA for the opportunity to respond to the {...}

  Opinions

  11.12.2020

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• Enabling accurate results within the Journal Checker Tool

  We’ve worked hard to ensure the results given within the Journal Checker Tool (JCT) are as accurate as possible at this point. However, not all of {...}

  Tools

  18.11.2020

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• Unboxing the Journal Checker Tool

  We are delighted that the cOAlition S funded Journal Checker Tool (JCT) is released today. Although it is in open testing mode, this is a big {...}

  Tools

  18.11.2020

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• 4 things you should know about the Rights Retention Strategy and the Journal Checker Tool

  Overview The Rights Retention Strategy (RRS) ensures that researchers who have been funded by a cOAlition S Organisation will always be able to {...}

  Policies

  18.11.2020

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• Opinion: the cOAlition S Rights Retention Strategy

  For a long time now, researchers have all too easily handed over to academic publishers the rights inherent in their publications. These rights {...}

  Opinions

  20.07.2020

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• Open Access lessons during Covid-19: No lockdown for research results!

  The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world as we know it, and research is no exception. Globally, scientists are working together at unprecedented {...}

  Interviews

  08.06.2020

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• Open Access and Plan S: 5 key activities

  The emerging Coronavirus (COVID19) has once again highlighted the need for researchers to have unfettered access to the research literature.  A {...}

  Opinions

  18.02.2020

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