A new online forum has been created for organizations seeking to adopt best practices in scholarly publishing. The Publishers Learning and Community Exchange (PLACE) provides a space where publishers can access information from multiple agencies in one place, ask questions of experts, and engage in conversations with other publishers. PLACE is particularly useful for publishers with limited resources, access to publishing networks, or little publishing experience.
The PLACE platform has been developed by a partnership of four agencies committed to working more effectively together to support the needs of the scholarly publishing community worldwide. These agencies include the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Crossref, DOAJ, and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA). Each of these organizations acknowledges that scholarly publishing can be challenging, particularly for new or under-resourced publishers.
To achieve a diverse and equitable global publishing community, it is critical to encourage the participation and impact of smaller, often scholar-led, publishers, especially from low-income countries. PLACE was designed as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for publishers to find the support they need to adopt best practices, while minimizing financial or technical barriers.
In addition to creating PLACE, each organization is taking action to lower barriers to participation and provide greater support for the publishers they work with. Crossref has recently launched the Global Equitable Membership program, which helps to lower the financial and technical barriers to membership. OASPA provides lower costs for small and newly established publishers to participate in Crossref services and has recently collaborated on a Diamond OA study to help build knowledge and capacity around diverse and sustainable pathways to Diamond Open Access.
COPE’s new strategic plan aims to increase membership from underrepresented areas, such as South America, India, and China. This includes a reduced fees program for eligible publishers/journals. DOAJ is collaborating with ISSN and other organizations to offer Diamond OA publishers low- or no-cost options for the long-term preservation of their published content (Project JASPER).
PLACE is an excellent resource for publishers seeking to improve their practices and engage with the wider scholarly publishing community. It provides access to experts and information from multiple agencies, helping to lower barriers to participation and create a more diverse and equitable global publishing landscape.
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