What direct support is available for open-access Diamond journals? Funding models and arrangements for implementation

Executive Summary: Aims: The author-pays model for open-access journals is increasingly criticised because of the inequalities it generates and its unsustainability due to a lack of cost control. In this context, our study examines the funding models for Diamond journals - academic journals which are published with no direct payment made by the readers (unlike the subscription model) nor by the authors (author pays model). The aim of this work is to test the feasibility, as well as the desirability of a direct or explicit funding model for Diamond journals, something which is almost non-existent at present. We have two objectives here: on one hand, to understand the current Diamond journal funding arrangements and constraints, and on the other hand to propose specific arrangements for funding Diamond journals by research funders.

Background: In 2020, we participated with the OPERAS consortium in the OA Diamond Journals study, the purpose of which was to quantify and qualify the worldwide Diamond journals ecosystem, focusing on journals and platforms located in Europe and South America. One of the many recommendations in the final report was the proposal to establish direct funding for Diamond journals by institutions which do not currently provide support. This work follows on from the recommendation. It complements the work done in 2020 by focusing on a specific aspect of the Diamond ecosystem, namely the ways in which they are funded. The aim in exploring in detail the current funding options for Diamond journals is to identify the specific forms that permanent funding models could take. ...

Results: 1. Four direct funding models for Diamond journals Our questionnaire survey identified the various forms of support available. In addition to the development of publication infrastructures and the availability of services, we also focused on direct funding models. Our research has led to the creation of four models that are, to a greater or lesser degree, linked to the publication yield and are based on annual funding: • The white list. Journals meeting the criteria that make them eligible for inclusion in a funding list, would obtain access to a fixed sum of money, irrespective of the content of the articles and the publication levels or yield. • The threshold. A set amount of money is allocated to the journal, subject to a minimum number of publications that are of interest to the funder. • The slots. The sums of money paid to the journal do not depend linearly on the number of articles which are of interest to a funder, but on “publication tranches”, within which the amount is fixed. • The yield. A sum of money is allocated to the journal on the basis of the annual publication yield, in line with the notion of “fund as you publish” as used in some transformational agreements. ...: