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STM’s Equity in Open Research Task & Finish Group has introduced a new microsite that outlines voluntary best practice guidelines, case studies, and emerging data to support equity across the open research lifecycle. The initiative emphasizes transparency, accessibility, collaboration, and accountability.

The microsite builds on STM’s Equity Statement and OA Equity Statement, which affirm publishers’ commitment to inclusive and accessible research. It translates these commitments into practical guidance that considers not only research outputs but also who is able to contribute and whose knowledge is recognized.

The resource is organized around three guiding principles that provide publishers of all sizes and disciplines with shared reference points:

• Transparency across the lifecycle — ensuring findings can be discovered, accessed, used, and built upon by anyone.

• Inclusive participation — supporting multiple pathways for researchers to contribute regardless of affiliation, career stage, or location.

• Amplifying diverse perspectives — strengthening trust in research by reflecting global knowledge production.

These principles are applied across four practice areas: access, open communications, open methods, and open data. Each area includes recommendations and case studies. A fifth section on measuring progress provides a baseline for current practice and outlines requirements for equitable measurement, acknowledging that this area will continue to evolve.

The microsite highlights that equity in open research is not automatic. Structural barriers in infrastructure, incentives, and research assessment influence who can participate and under what conditions. Addressing these challenges requires collective action, and the microsite offers a shared foundation for the sector to advance this work.

Sarah Phibbs, Consultant for Equity & Inclusion at STM, noted that committing to equity in open research is central to STM’s mission. She explained that equity involves considering who can contribute and whose work is recognized, while acknowledging the complexity of equity across different contexts. She added that the microsite provides shared principles and a common framework for tracking progress.

Publishers are encouraged to benchmark their equity reporting against the three principles and use the case studies as practical starting points.