A new online tool designed to evaluate the equity of scholarly communication models has been launched at the OASPA 2024 conference. The “How Equitable Is It?” tool, developed by a multi-stakeholder Working Group comprised of librarians, library consortia representatives, funders, and publishers, was convened by cOAlition S, Jisc, and PLOS. This tool aims to provide a framework for assessing scholarly communication models and arrangements based on equity.
Inspired by the “How Open Is It?” framework, the tool targets institutions, library consortia, funders, and publishers—stakeholders who either invest in or receive funding for publishing services. It allows users to evaluate scholarly communication models and arrangements across seven criteria: Access to Read; Publishing Immediate Open Access; Maximizing Participation; Re-use Rights; Pricing and Fee Transparency; Promoting and Encouraging Open Research Practices: Data and Code; and Promoting and Encouraging Open Research Practices: Preprints and Open Peer Review.
One of the primary goals of the Working Group was to create a practical resource to help stakeholders assess scholarly communication models and arrangements in terms of equity, facilitating easy comparisons between different models. Rather than prescribing outcomes, the tool allows users to exercise their judgment in rating models or arrangements against equitable criteria; there is no pre-populated database of models, journals, or arrangements behind the tool.
Using the aforementioned criteria, the “How Equitable Is It?” tool prompts users to consider the extent to which the model (and associated funding flow) they are assessing facilitates or restricts equitable participation in knowledge sharing. Users score each criterion on a scale from “least equitable” to “most equitable,” receiving an overall equity score upon completion, along with a summary of their responses. A detailed description of the criteria and their definitions is available in the document Framework_criteria_definitions.pdf.
The current release of the “How Equitable Is It?” tool is a beta version open for comments and improvements. Stakeholders in the academic publishing ecosystem are encouraged to test the tool and provide feedback until October 28, 2024, via the form https://coalitions.typeform.com/Equity-Feedback to help refine the criteria and enhance its utility. The Working Group will review all input and publish a revised version in early 2025.
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