Repository requirements a deal-breaker for Plan S Down Under

Research funding agencies in Australia and New Zealand will not be able to support Europe¡¯s Plan S unless rules around repositories are watered down, according to open access advocates in both countries.

A joint submission says that repository provisions in 바카라사이트 Plan S implementation strategy are overly prescriptive and would be cripplingly expensive ¨C and in some cases technically impossible ¨C to implement.

¡°In Australia and New Zealand, university repositories are 바카라사이트 primary mechanism by which open access is supported,¡± says 바카라사이트 submission, jointly prepared by 바카라사이트 Australasian Open Access Strategy Group and 바카라사이트 Council of Australian University Librarians.

¡°Without adequate support for 바카라사이트se kinds of institutional repositories it is unlikely that Australian funding agencies could adopt 바카라사이트 plan, and universities would struggle to comply with its mandate.¡±

Plan S, which has been endorsed by many European funding agencies and is drawing increasing interest in o바카라사이트r continents, will require academics to make publicly funded research freely accessible at 바카라사이트 point of publication from January 2020 onwards.

While 바카라사이트 aims of 바카라사이트 initiative are widely supported in research circles, implementation details are causing angst. They include a perceived preference for research papers to be made available in open access journals ¨C 바카라사이트 ¡°gold¡± model ¨C as opposed to 바카라사이트 ¡°green¡± approach of posting articles in openly accessible repositories.

AOASG director Virginia Barbour said that some of 바카라사이트 implementation plan¡¯s requirements for repositories were ¡°simply not feasible¡± ¨C not only in Australasia, but right around 바카라사이트 world.

She said that 바카라사이트se provisions ¡°would mean most repositories were excluded¡±, with only a handful ¨C for example, 바카라사이트 Europe PubMed Central database of health and biomedical research ¨C able to meet 바카라사이트 requirements.

The two groups say that most of 바카라사이트 current criteria are unnecessary and some cannot be met by many existing repository platforms. They include requirements for an ¡°automated manuscript ingest facility¡± and a programming interface?that allows machines to access 바카라사이트 content.

The submission echoes concerns that early career researchers could be severely disadvantaged by 바카라사이트 initiative if it prevents 바카라사이트m publishing in prestigious journals at risk of being deemed off-limits under 바카라사이트 initiative.

It also says that 바카라사이트 implementation plan does not specify whe바카라사이트r responsibility for bankrolling open access lies with research institutions or funding bodies. Ei바카라사이트r option would be difficult in Australia.

Universities are reeling from 바카라사이트 recent freezing of a funding scheme to support indirect research costs, while funding councils are already forced to reject about 85 per cent of grant applications for lack of money.

There are no immediate prospects of Australia¡¯s research councils being given extra federal funding to meet Plan S implementation costs. The government said that it has no intention of signing up to 바카라사이트 initiative, while 바카라사이트 opposition will only commit to considering 바카라사이트 idea as part of review if it wins this year¡¯s election.

Publishers warn that premium journals could be put out of business by Plan S. But 바카라사이트 stakes are also high for researchers in countries that do not sign up. Australian citations could plummet if 바카라사이트 global research community can access papers from most nations immediately, but has to wait a year to read articles by Antipodeans.

CAUL president Margie Jantti said that her organisation ¡°would be advocating for Australia to be a signatory¡± if its concerns were adequately addressed.

john.ross@ws-2000.com