Plan S for Shock

Plan S for shock: the open access initiative that changed the face of global research. This is the story of open access publishing – why it matters now, and for the future. In a world where information has never been so accessible, and answers are available at the touch of a fingertip, we are hungrier for the facts than ever before – something the Covid-19 crisis has brought to light. And yet, paywalls put in place by multi-billion dollar publishing houses are still preventing millions from accessing quality, scientific knowledge – and public trust in science is under threat. On 4 September 2018, a bold new initiative known as ‘Plan S’ was unveiled, kickstarting a world-wide shift in attitudes towards open access research. For the first time, funding agencies across continents joined forces to impose new rules on the publication of research, with the aim of one day making all research free and available to all. What followed was a debate of global proportions, as stakeholders asked: Who has the right to access publicly-funded research? Will it ever be possible to enforce change on a multi-billion dollar market dominated by five major players? Here, the scheme’s founder, Robert-Jan Smits, makes a compelling case for Open Access, and reveals for the first time how he set about turning his controversial plan into reality – as well as some of the challenges faced along the way. In telling his story, Smits argues that the Covid-19 crisis has exposed the traditional academic publishing system as unsustainable

Plan S has fundamentally re-shaped academic publishing. As we emerge from the pandemic it should not return to how it was before

Taking stock of what Plan S – a funder-led initiative to deliver widespread open access to research – has achieved since its conception and launch in 2018, Rachael Pells and Robert-Jan Smits discuss their new book, Plan S for Shock, available open access from Ubiquity Press. In making the case for Plan S and open access more broadly, they argue that crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrate the necessity of openness in addressing global challenges

Plan S has fundamentally re-shaped academic publishing: as we emerge from the pandemic it should not return to how it was before.

Taking stock of what Plan S – a funder led initiative to deliver widespread open access to research – has achieved since its conception and launch in 2018, Rachael Pells and Robert-Jan Smits discuss their new book “Plan S for Shock”. In making the case for Plan S and open access more broadly, they argue that crises, such as the Coronavirus pandemic, demonstrate the necessity of openness to addressing global challenges

Plan S for Shock

Plan S for shock: the open access initiative that changed the face of global research. This is the story of open access publishing – why it matters now, and for the future. In a world where information has never been so accessible, and answers are available at the touch of a fingertip, we are hungrier for the facts than ever before – something the Covid-19 crisis has brought to light. And yet, paywalls put in place by multi-billion dollar publishing houses are still preventing millions from accessing quality, scientific knowledge – and public trust in science is under threat. On 4 September 2018, a bold new initiative known as ‘Plan S’ was unveiled, kickstarting a world-wide shift in attitudes towards open access research. For the first time, funding agencies across continents joined forces to impose new rules on the publication of research, with the aim of one day making all research free and available to all. What followed was a debate of global proportions, as stakeholders asked: Who has the right to access publicly-funded research? Will it ever be possible to enforce change on a multi-billion dollar market dominated by five major players? Here, the scheme’s founder, Robert-Jan Smits, makes a compelling case for Open Access, and reveals for the first time how he set about turning his controversial plan into reality – as well as some of the challenges faced along the way. In telling his story, Smits argues that the Covid-19 crisis has exposed the traditional academic publishing system as unsustainable

Plan S: a shock or a solution for academic publishing?

European funders’ shift away from subscription journals raises questions over the outlook for prestigious periodicals with a comment from Martin Paul Eve

REF submission rules ‘could increase burden’ on departments

An article in the Times Higher Education quoting Martin Paul Ev

Axing of VAT on digital journals ‘will benefit universities’

An article in research fortnight on the removal of VAT for digital journals

UKRI move ‘could be huge blow’ for Plan S

An article on the UKRI consultatio

UCL to launch open-access megajournal

An article in the Times Higher with a quote from Martin Eve

REF open-access requirement for books ‘worth the outlay’

Concerns over cost and impact of proposals can be overcome, say scholars. An article in the Times Higher Education quoting Martin Eve