EU-LIFE welcomes the revised guidance on PlanS implementation but challenges still lay ahead
On May 31st 2019, cOAlition S published a revised guidance on Plan S implementation, following an open consultation that gathered over 600 inputs from individuals and diverse organizations and associations. EU-LIFE´s answer raised specifically seven main points to address. EU-LIFE members welcome that CoAlitionS has taken into account the received feedback and point out that several positive changes have been considered:
- The decision to give more time to mature the process by 1st January 2021 is very much welcomed by EU-LIFE.
- It is very important for the alliance that the plan places now more emphasis on the need to revise the research reward and incentive system, and supports high-quality peer-review alongside other forms of quality assurance. We strongly believe that professional peer-review is at the core of assessing scientific quality and ensuring advancing of research and researchers.
- cOAlition S members also clearly indicate their willingness to work closely with learned societies (including the medium and small ones) in order to explore different business models. EU-LIFE was very concerned about small and medium learned society as they provide critical support to the research community.
- The revised Implementation Plan does not include anymore a “cap” to the article processing charges, but underlines the necessity for publishers to be transparent on their publication fees and costs. This is very important in a path to avoiding astronomical inflated profits of the publishing industry.
“We are pleased with CoAlitionS open response to the feedback from multiple actors. They introduced positive changes addressing concerns of researchers. There are still challenges to overcome, such as the need for a global approach with funders around the world and potential unintended consequences, such as damage to learned societies”, explained Michela Bertero, EU-LIFE representative at European Open Science Policy Platform.
