#OAWeek2024: How science is taking back control of publishing

The motto of this year’s Open Access Week “Community over Commercialization” focuses on a central question: Who owns (scientific) knowledge? At a time when academic publishers dominate the communication process of research results (either through expensive subscription models or now increasingly through publication fees), scholar-led publishing offers a way for the scientific community to regain control over research and publication. The article includes the following sections:

• Community instead of profit orientation: what scholar-led publishing means
• Why scholar-led publishing embodies the idea of “community over commercialization”
• Insight into selected results of the survey “Publishing magazines in Hamburg”
• A future in the hands of the scientific community

The article was inspired by a survey conducted by the University Library (TUB) of Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH) in April 2024. In this survey, participants increasingly raised the question of what exactly characterizes scholar-led journals. The survey, which was aimed at professors and senior engineers at the TUHH, aimed to determine the publication needs of researchers. With these findings, we as TUB would like to incorporate the needs of TUHH members in the best possible way when planning a potential Hamburg Diamond Open Access publication service in cooperation with other universities in Hamburg. You can find further details on the survey in Section 3.

1. Community instead of profit orientation: what scholar-led publishing means

Scholar-led publishing stands in stark contrast to commercial publishing models. In the latter, large publishers dominate scholarly communication and charge high costs for both authors and readers. While commercial publishers often make high profits by hiding research results behind paywalls or charging high publication fees (see also: “Open Access Glossary” > “APC”), scholar-led publishing relies on the scientific community itself.

In essence, scholar-led publishing means that academics take responsibility for the entire publication process wherever possible. This includes the creation, review process, and publication of research results. The scientific community supports scholar-led initiatives, not profit-oriented companies. The focus is on the dissemination of knowledge and the promotion of science, rather than on financial interests.

2. Why scholar-led publishing embodies the idea of “community over commercialization”

More control by the scientific community:
With commercial publishers, most of the control – from article selection to the level of publication fees – remains in the hands of the publishers. Scholar-led publishing gives this control back to the researchers. For example, they determine how to organize the peer review process, how to publish and disseminate an article, and under what conditions.

“Community over commercialization” here means that the scientific community decides more strongly on its own content and does oppose to the economic objectives of profit-centred publishers.

Open access for all:
A central aspect of scholar-led publishing is free access to academic literature. In contrast to commercial models, which sometimes charge high APCs, many scholar-led projects rely on fair, free or appropriately priced open access. This means that research results are accessible to as many people as possible and that researchers – regardless of whether they belong to a financially strong institution or not – can publish their results.

“Community over commercialization” here means that knowledge is shared as widely as possible and not sold for profit. The aim is to make scientific findings accessible worldwide without erecting barriers.

Transparency and fairness:
Publication processes in scholar-led initiatives are often more transparent and open than those of commercial publishers. Peer review processes are fairer and are run by academics who are pursuing the goal of promoting high-quality research – and not, as is often the case with commercial publishers, serving financial interests.

“Community over commercialization” means that the processes behind scientific communication are open and fair, and that they are controlled by the community for the community.

3. Insights into selected results of the survey “Publishing journals in Hamburg”

Scholar-led publishing gives TUHH and its researchers a chance to make their work more accessible. It allows them to actively contribute to the global scientific community. Creating new journals, especially for fair and transparent research publication, presents certain challenges. As part of a survey, the TUB has recorded the needs and requirements of researchers at the TUHH in order to support the potential development of a Diamond Open Access publication service for Hamburg universities. The aim of this initiative is not only to increase the proportion of freely accessible publications, but also to promote a diverse and egalitarian open access ecosystem. We share some selected results of this survey below:

• 19 participants completed the questionnaires in full.
• A total of 18 survey participants (94.7%) indicated that they were generally interested in science-led journals.
• 13 participants (68.4 %) would publish in a science-led publication or recommend the publication. Three participants (15.8 %) answered “No” or “Other” to this question.
• Among the participants, one person discussed publishing their own journal, but abandoned these plans.
• A Hamburg-wide publication infrastructure for science-led journals would certainly interest TUHH members. However, this interest would depend on the advantages over established journals and the design of the services offered.
• In response to the question, “Would an extension to books, conferences, or other formats make sense for you?”, respondents predominantly emphasized “conferences” in their free text answers, but they also mentioned “workshops”
• Challenges for researchers include the goal of publishing in renowned, highly visible journals. Additionally, the effort involved in establishing new, science-led journals internationally also plays a role in the free text responses.
• At the same time, the participants repeatedly drew attention to a prevailing problem. They expressed that without the development, establishment, and support of alternatives in the publication system, there would be a standstill or lack of bibliodiversity in academic publishing.

4. A future in the hands of the scientific community

Scholar-led publishing is more than just an alternative publishing route – it is a step towards a science that is run by the community for the community. By taking control of their own publications, researchers are creating a system based on the principles of openness, fairness and community.

Supporting and contributing to the Open Access movement

TUHH has the opportunity to be an active part of this movement by supporting its own researchers when needed and contributing to the global Open Access movement by also contributing to bibliodiversity in the scholarly publishing system through scholar-led publishing. “Community over commercialization” ultimately means that science does not become a commodity, but remains a free good that benefits everyone.

Best practice example

Various initiatives show that scholar-led publishing is not only possible, but can also be sustainable. One example of high-quality humanities research in open access is the Open Library of Humanities (OLH). This publishes research results that are freely accessible to the scientific community.

Handouts for interested parties: Perspectives and practical tips

The following six handouts with perspectives and practical tips may also be of interest to researchers who want to take a closer look at science-led publishing. More than 50 publication experts from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland compiled these. The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society published them as part of the BMBF-funded Scholar-led Plus project. Among other things, they deal with technology and infrastructure, copyright and data protection as well as work processes and workflows.

We will be happy to advise you on Open Access

You can reach the Open Access team via mail openaccess@tuhh.de.

Please also feel free to take part in our Open Access consultation hours via Zoom (identification code: 190591) if you have questions regarding Open Access (every Friday from 10:00 am to 10:30 am).