Nature June 2, 2023
The Council of the European Union has recommended a ‘no pay’ academic-publishing model in which neither readers nor authors are billed for academic papers. The recommendations, part of a set of principles on scholarly publishing adopted by the council, are not legally binding and have been welcomed by some members of the academic community. Critics say that the plan could usher in a state-defined system that might stymie academic freedom and abolish an industry without considering who would pay for the alternative. Supporters, such as the German Research Federation, say the principles would lower the barriers to participation in academic discourse. There is a recognition that we need to move beyond the article processing charge. The principles are outlined in a document on scholarly publishing produced by the Council of the European Union. Before they are adopted, conclusions of the council go through rounds of drafts and revisions, discussed at each stage by representatives from member states and European affairs ministers. The timescale of any resulting changes to EU policy is unclear from the document… read more.
The EU’s council of ministers has recommended an open access and not-for-profit model for research publishing. Credit: MirageC/Getty