Tag: December 2022

Newly revised: Principles of Transparency and Best Practices in Scholarly Publishing

Four non-profit, scholarly organizations – The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) – have collaborated to issue the fourth revision of the Principles of Transparency and Best Practices in Scholarly Publishing. The 2022 version updates the previous 2018 edition and recognizes the responsibilities of publishers and editors for promoting accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusivity in all aspects of the publication.

The 16 principles are grouped under journal content, journal practices, organization and business practice categories and cover copyright, archiving, peer review, author fees and much more. These principles serve as a very useful benchmark for checking the integrity of journals and publishers.

UNESCO launches Toolkit to support Recommendations on Open Science

UNESCO recently released an Open Science Toolkit to aid implementation of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science. The Toolkit is a set of guides, policy briefs, factsheets and indexes which will be updated to reflect new developments. They include, for example:

  • Building capacity for open science;
  • Funding open science;
  • Identifying predatory academic journals and conferences; and
  • Checklist for universities on implementing the Recommendation on Open Science.

Documents are published open access in English and French.

Indigenous Data Governance

The CARE Principles for Indigenous Data Governance were drafted at the International Data Week and Research Data Alliance Plenary co-hosted event “Indigenous Data Sovereignty Principles for the Governance of Indigenous Data Workshop,” 8 November 2018, Gaborone, Botswana. In 2019 the Global Indigenous Data Alliance (GIDA) was formed with the purpose of promoting indigenous control of indigenous data. GIDA endorsed and agreed to host the CARE Principles:

  • (C)ollective benefit – Data ecosystems shall be designed and function in ways that enable Indigenous Peoples to derive benefit from the data;
  • (A)uthority to control – Indigenous Peoples’ rights and interests in Indigenous data must be recognised and their authority to control such data be empowered. Indigenous data governance enables Indigenous Peoples and governing bodies to determine how Indigenous Peoples, as well as Indigenous lands, territories, resources, knowledges and geographical indicators, are represented and identified within data;
  • (R)esponsibility – Those working with Indigenous data have a responsibility to share how those data are used to support Indigenous Peoples’ self determination and collective benefit. Accountability requires meaningful and openly available evidence of these efforts and the benefits accruing to Indigenous Peoples; and
  • (E)thics – Indigenous Peoples’ rights and wellbeing should be the primary concern at all stages of the data life cycle and across the data ecosystem.

GIDA has translated the Principles from English to Maori, German and Khmer, and it sponsors programming to advance their use. The #BeFAIRandCARE campaign advocates for complementing the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) Principles with the CARE Principles. In 2022 GIDA issued “Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Data” that cover “Data for Governance” and “Governance of Data.” These resources and guidance by indigenous peoples for indigenous peoples are invaluable for equity, inclusion and justice for all peoples.

Open Access Week 2022 presentation recordings

Closed captioned videos and other presentation materials are now available for Open Access Week 2022 events. If you need distraction, refreshment or inspiration, take a look!

Libraries’ SOAR Fund now accepting applications for FY’23

The UMass Amherst Libraries are accepting applications for the Supporting Open Access Research (SOAR) Fund. The deadline for applications is March 30, 2023. 

The SOAR Fund was established by the Libraries in 2014 to support open access publication of articles, book chapters, and books in the sciences, social sciences and humanities by faculty, staff, and students when funds are not otherwise available. This fiscal year, Nandita Mani, Dean of Libraries, doubled the Libraries’ previous allocation to $20,000.   

The review committee will consider applications on January 30 (round one) and April 15 (round two). The maximum amount of reimbursement for a manuscript accepted in the previous 12 months is $1,200. Complete eligibility, award determination criteria, and applications are available from the SOAR Fund guide.