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cOAlition S Adopts Implementation Guidance on Plan S

22/11/2018

Members of cOAlition S, the research funders behind Plan S, have read with interest the many comments made on Plan S which aims to accelerate the transition to full and immediate Open Access. After discussion and consideration, the coalition has approved the draft implementation guidance to make full and immediate Open Access a reality. The guidance will now be open for public feedback.

The Plan S principles aim to address a simple fact: in the 21st century no science should be locked behind paywalls that withhold a substantial amount of research results from a large fraction of the scientific community, and from society as a whole.

Specific implementation guidance for the Plan S principles has been developed by a dedicated task force headed by John-Arne Røttingen, Research Council of Norway, and David Sweeney, UK Research and Innovation, together with leading experts and researchers from participating funders. It also drew on significant input from interested parties from various relevant sectors such as research institutions, researchers, universities, funders, charities, publishers, and civil society.

The guidance serves to clarify the Plan S provisions and describes implementation modalities. It also provides responses to questions and comments arising from online discussions and debates on Plan S.  cOAlition S declares its willingness and enthusiasm to work with publishers and other stakeholders. The coalition has also listened to feedback coming from other countries and ensured that the implementation framework aligns with different International approaches to Open Access.

The implementation guidance, finalised in Brussels today, will be presented at a briefing on Monday 26 November and released on Tuesday 27 November. It will be open for feedback until 1 February 2019 in order to collect further suggestions from a wide range of Plan S stakeholders.

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