New tool to assess equity in scholarly communication models | Plan S

A new online tool designed to assess the equity of scholarly communication models is launched today at the OASPA 2024 conference. The “How Equitable Is It” tool, developed by a multi-stakeholder Working Group, comprising librarians, library consortia representatives, funders and publishers, and convened by cOAlition S, Jisc and PLOS, aims to provide a framework for evaluating scholarly communication models and arrangements on the axis of equity.

The tool, which was inspired by the “How Open Is It?” framework, is targeted at institutions, library consortia, funders and publishers, i.e. the stakeholders either investing or receiving funds for publishing services. It offers users the opportunity to rate 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 
• Promoting and encouraging open research practices: preprints and open peer review