Plato Study: Diamond Open Access Grows in Switzerland

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Switzerland’s OA publishing landscape is growing: 186 Diamond Open Access journals are currently published by the scientific community – but mostly under difficult working and publishing conditions, as the current PLATO study shows. This makes journal platforms such as UZH’s HOPE all the more important.

Diamond or Platinum Open Access refers to a publication model in which neither authors nor readers are charged any fees. Another important criterion is that the operation of these journals is science-driven, i.e., the control and ownership rights are in the hands of the researchers.

Need for funding and IT infrastructure

According to the study, there are now 186 Diamond Open Access journals in Switzerland. The majority of them are published by researchers or research teams at universities and by the scientific academies. However, due to a lack of budget and sustainable funding options, the work on the editorial boards is mostly done on a volunteer basis.

Eleven journals are already hosted on UZH’s own Diamond Open Access platform HOPE. The study shows how central this support in hosting and IT development is for the journals. A central infrastructure like HOPE can increase the visibility of the journal, as indexing in other platforms is handled by that same central service. In addition, resources can be saved and the editors can focus more on the content instead of having to worry about technical conditions.

Here you can download the whole study:

Study “Mapping the Swiss Landscape of Diamond Open Access Journals” (Dec 2022)

In the UZH-News you will find further information about the study

*The Platinum Open Access Funding (PLATO) project was initiated by six Swiss universities and provides the basis for promoting sustainable Platinum Open Access publishing in Switzerland. The project is co-financed by swissuniversities. PLATO Project Manager at UZH: Daniela Hahn, daniela.hahn@uzh.ch

Melanie Röthlisberger, Open Science Services UB / Daniela Hahn, PLATO project manager UZH

Image: Cover PLATO study