Dear HIFA colleagues,
During our discussion we have heard about Plan U, but I don't think we have discussed PLan S.
'Plan S is an initiative for Open Access publishing that was launched in September 2018. The plan is supported by cOAlition S, an international consortium of research funding and performing organisations. Plan S requires that, from 2021, scientific publications that result from research funded by public grants must be published in compliant Open Access journals or platforms.' https://www.coalition-s.org/
Now that I have had time to refresh my memory about Plan S, I have reviewed the 10 principles and I am in full agreement. https://www.coalition-s.org/plan_s_principles/
Principle 4 notes:
'Where applicable, Open Access publication fees are covered by the Funders or research institutions, not by individual researchers'
and Principle 5 says:
'When Open Access publication fees are applied, they must be commensurate with the publication services delivered and the structure of such fees must be transparent to inform the market and facilitate the potential standardisation and capping of payments of fees.'
This is in complete alignment with our discussion on HIFA and the suggestion that funders should take responsibility for paying APCs, and that APCs should reflect actual costs.
OA journals continue to have a vital role to play.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org