(Diamond) Open Access Publishing in Astrophysics

Talk given at the IAU 2024 General Assembly, Cape Town, South Africa on 7th August 2024.

Abstract:

Over the past decade, the landscape of academic publishing has changed dramatically, with publishers moving from subscription-based models to "open access" in which papers are available to read free of charge. Many journals have made the decision to maintain revenue by charging authors for this, via so-called "Article Processing Charges" (APCs) which can run to $1000s thereby closing the door on those without funds to pay. More recently, there have been moves to encourage researchers to publish using "Diamond" Open Access wherein papers are published without charge to the authors and without cost to the reader. In this talk I shall discuss the ennvironment for Open Access Publishing in Astrophysics with reference to the Open Journal of Astrophysics (OJAp), which offers a not-for-profit service of this kind using an arXiv-overlay model. I will also offer a possible vision of the future of truly "Open Access" publishing based on a global network of institutional and/or subject-based repositories.

1. Peter Coles Valencia, 26th June 2024 1

2. The Academic Publishing Industry Global revenues of the academic publishing industry amount to about, €28 billion per annum (2019 figure) This exceeds the annual global revenues of the recorded music industry. Profit margins for these publishers are much larger (up to 45%) than e.g. Apple, Google and BMW. The worst offenders are the `Big Four’: Elsevier, Springer, Wiley and Taylor & Francis. The academic community is being fleeced! Valencia, 26th June 2024 2

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4. Most research in astrophysics (and other “blue skies” subjects) is funded by the taxpayer, so the public should have access to it. Open science is better science Does Open Access Publishing go far enough? Everything needed to reproduce the results should be made public: data, analysis tools, the lot… Why Open Access? Valencia, 26th June 2024 4

5. Open Access: Green, Gold & Diamond “ Gold” = free to readers, usually paid for by authors (via “Article Processing Charge”) – this is often large, in order to maintain revenue in the absence of subscription income. “Green” = “free” to authors and readers (e.g. arXiv , institutional repositories, etc ) self-archiving (possibly) after an embargo period “ Diamond ” = immediately free to authors and readers. Open Access of some form is often mandatory or some funding agencies, and this is likely to increase (Plan S). Valencia, 26th June 2024 5

6. Most new astrophysics research has been available via in Open Access format via the arXiv for > 30 years. Running costs are  $1M per annum: this amounts to an average of  $11 per paper. Who looks at journals anyway? Why not just referee the arXiv submissions? Hence, the arXiv overlay journal . Why Academic Journals? Valencia, 26th June 2024 6

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9. https://astro.theoj.org Valencia, 26th June 2024 9

10. Online only We charge no fee to either author or reader. You (the author) keep copyright to your work. From acceptance to publication (usually) takes a few hours. We curate the paper (store in private repository) We promote papers on social media What do we do differently? Valencia, 26th June 2024 10

11. OJAp is a free, open access, community-reviewed “overlay journal” based on the arXiv , i.e. DIAMOND Open Access. Published by Maynooth Academic Publishing Annual running cost  $2000 Also thanks to: The Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, the arXiv , NASA/ADS, Arfon Smith and Chris Lintott . See also, e.g., the Journal of Open Source Software (JOSS). The Open Journal of Astrophysics Valencia, 26th June 2024 11

12. astro-ph.GA - Astrophysics of Galaxies. astro-ph.CO - Cosmology and NonGalactic Astrophysics. astro-ph.EP - Earth and Planetary Astrophysics. astro-ph.HE - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena. astro-ph.IM - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics. astro-ph.SR - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics. The six sections of astro-ph … Valencia, 26th June 2024 12

13. Peer Review – usually two referees Publish – create overlay, issue a DOI and register metadata with CrossRef . We can host additional files, e.g. catalogues or software. Liaise with, e.g., NASA/ADS and Inspire to ensure papers are listed. What do we do? Valencia, 26th June 2024 13

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15. 167 papers published (to 24 th June 2024) Average of 14.7 citations per paper (NASA/ADS) Approximately 57% acceptance rate No “official” Impact Factor (yet) Some statistics… Valencia, 26th June 2024 15

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19. Journal Impact Factor (   Let be the number of papers published by the journal in year and let be the number of citations obtained in year by papers published in the journal in year and year Then the Journal Impact Factor for year is defined to be For example, the Impact Factor for 2022 is based on citations received in 2021 for papers published in 2019 and 2020.   Valencia, 26th June 2024 19

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24. Please consider submitting papers! – if it is appropriate for the astro-ph section of the arXiv then we will consider it! The rate-limiting step in the publishing process is refereeing, so please take any refereeing requests seriously – this is not a predatory journal! Want to be an Editor? Support the arXiv ! To support the Open Journal of Astrophysics… Valencia, 26th June 2024 24

25. Preparation for increasing numbers (automation) We have been accepted for listing in Scopus Apply for Clarivate ( WoS ) “Official” JIF Further cooperation with arXiv Funding for the Future? Plans for OJAp … Valencia, 26th June 2024 25

26. Academic journals have been publishing the results of biomedical research for more than 350 years. Reviewing their history reveals that the ways in which journals vet submissions have changed over time, culminating in the relatively recent appearance of the current peer-review process. Journal brand and Impact Factor have meanwhile become quality proxies that are widely used to filter articles and evaluate scientists in a hypercompetitive prestige economy. The Web created the potential for a more decoupled publishing system in which articles are initially disseminated by preprint servers and then undergo evaluation elsewhere . To build this future, we must first understand the roles journals currently play and consider what types of content screening and review are necessary and for which papers. A new, open ecosystem involving preprint servers, journals, independent content-vetting initiatives, and curation services could provide more multidimensional signals for papers and avoid the current conflation of trust, quality, and impact. Academia should strive to avoid the alternative scenario, however, in which stratified publisher silos lock in submissions and simply perpetuate this conflation. (Richard Sever, co-founder of bioRxiv and medRxiv .) A Vision for the Future… Valencia, 26th June 2024 26