WORKSHOP ON VIEWPOINTS AND PERSPECTIVES FROM ACROSS THE AMERICAS IN THE CONTEXT OF OPEN ACCESS
Third in a series of workshops to develop practical mechanisms and action plans to remove barriers for readers and authors
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
4 hours of event,
Workshop start times by timezone:
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html?iso=20231010T160000&p1=224&p2=41&p3=45&p4=168&p5=5815&p6=188
Authors, globally, publish a large proportion of their research articles in scholarly journals that charge fees for open access publishing, raising concerns around inclusiveness and equity in scholarly publishing. To address these concerns, many actors involved in funding and performing research are seeking immediate and longer-term actions they can take to reduce inequities in scholarly publishing.
This workshop is an opportunity for those involved in funding and producing research from across the Americas, to contribute their experiences, insights and ideas on how to tackle the problem as a community, to ensure open access publishing is delivered in accordance with these principles:
- Scholarly communication is part of the research process and, as such, costs for open access publishing services should ultimately be borne by research funders and institutions;
- Spending on scientific publishing should enable global open access by both readers and authors.
- Fees associated with open access publishing services should be fair, reasonable, transparent, and globally equitable.
Participation and program
The 4-hour workshop program will include
- Viewing of a selection of perspective videos contributed by researchers and scholarly communication professionals highlighting some of the challenges related to equity and inclusion that they have experienced
- A panel discussion featuring experts involved in both open access negotiations with commercial publishers and diamond open access publishing initiatives
- Facilitated breakout group discussions (in English, Spanish and Portuguese) to brainstorm immediate and long term actions that different actors can take to reduce inequities
- A plenary session to wrap up and finalize proposals for action
The outcomes of the workshop will inform immediate and long term actions on a global scale that the organizers will further discuss with additional stakeholders, including scholarly publishers, in a final, open workshop in late 2023.
Please join us in this important discussion! To register, complete the form via the Registration button Register here.
Additionally, we welcome 5-minute perspective video contributions to immerse workshop participants in the diverse realities in countries across the Americas and provide a broader perspective on the different challenges related to equity and inclusion in open access publishing. Videos might address, for example:
- What inequities do you perceive, personally and/or in your professional capacity, in the context of open access publishing? What are the root causes for those inequities or the challenges to addressing them?
- What strategies is your organization adopting to advance toward an open paradigm based on the core principles listed above? How does your strategy fit into your local scholarly communication ecosystem?
- Working toward permanent solutions for equitable open access on a global scale, what actions by different stakeholders could foster a scholarly publishing system in which fees for open access publishing services are differentiated in a way that is fair and transparent?
- What collaborations and alignments could be formed to build the knowledge, capacities, practices and infrastructure to support global open access for both readers and authors?
You may upload your 5-minute perspective video via the button Send media, or email
Background
As open access publishing grows, many are concerned that as equity of access to read and use research increases, equity in publishing may decrease and that many actors in the research publishing ecosystem may become more disenfranchised than before. Many recent initiatives and statements by organizations such as OA2020, cOAlition S, UNESCO, Science Europe, the US Office of Science and Technology, and the International Science Council (ISC) have highlighted inequity as a challenge in the open access publishing landscape. The causes of this inequity are not just financial but also structural and cultural.
OA2020 is convening an online workshop, in collaboration with Coordenação De Aperfeiçoamento De Pessoal De Nível Superior (CAPES), Consorcio Colombia, Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN), California Digital Library (CDL), Iowa State University, UNESCO, the ISC, cOAlition S, Science Europe, and additional partners, to bring together a wide range of participants from across North, Central, and South America to discuss the challenges to equitable open access in 2023 in this region and to explore potential solutions.
Part of a series of regional workshops, this workshop is an opportunity for those who produce and fund research, including scientists and scholars, research administrators, libraries and library consortia, university leadership, science councils and grant funders, and ministries and agencies of research and education, to better understand the current tensions in the scholarly communication landscape and seek actionable plans and practical mechanisms that ensure equitable opportunity to openly disseminate the results of research. This workshop will expand and build on insights gathered in previous workshops that focused on viewpoints from Africa and Europe and from the Asia Pacific region.
The outcomes of all three workshops are meant to prompt immediate and long term actions on a global scale that the organizers will further discuss with additional stakeholders, including scholarly publishers, in a final, open workshop in late 2023.
