Saturday, August 9, 2025
Linkedin Twitter
Linkedin Twitter
Home Blog Page 28

Rebecca Lawrence appointed as new Chief Executive of the British Library

Rebecca Lawrence has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of the British Library and will take up the role from 2 January 2025. She succeeds Sir Roly Keating, who has led the Library since 2012.

Rebecca has had a long and successful career in leadership roles across the public service and university sector. From 2019 to 2023 she was Chief Executive of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), where she led the organisation through the pandemic, implementing large scale innovation to improve performance and support digital transformation.

Prior to leading the CPS, she was a founder and first CEO of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), serving as Director of Strategy and Resourcing from 2013 to 2016, and Chief Executive from 2016 to 2019. In these roles she became a recognised national leader of police technology and digital security innovation.

She forged her career in Whitehall as a senior civil servant at HM Treasury before moving to the Home Office and policing to lead on counter-terrorism strategy, resourcing and transformation.

In her non-executive roles she is chair of Governors at Middlesex University and a Commissioner at the National Preparedness Commission (NPC) where she will share her experience of how organisations and communities can stay resilient and learn from fellow Commissioners for the benefit of the British Library.

Dame Carol Black, Chair of the British Library Board, said: “I am delighted to welcome Rebecca Lawrence to the British Library. She brings skills and experience from more than 25 years at the forefront of reforming and delivering public services, with particular strengths in leadership and digital transformation. I am sure that, as Chief Executive, she will build on Sir Roly Keating’s legacy and enable the Library to complete its recovery from last year’s cyber-attack, and fulfil our mission of making our outstanding collections accessible to everyone.”

Rebecca Lawrence said: “I am honoured to take up the role of Chief Executive of the British Library, an institution I have loved and admired from childhood and throughout my adult life. I share the Library’s conviction that ‘knowledge matters’. I’m looking forward to meeting and working with the team, absorbing the expertise of Sir Roly in a period of handover, and getting to know the wider network of users, peers, partners and collaborators that help amplify its national and international reach and impact. The Library is one of the world’s great concentrations of trusted and verified knowledge, and through innovation and technology I believe we can transform access to this tremendous resource, as well as growing and developing it for future generations.”

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “Over the past twelve years, we’ve seen the British Library encouraging a love of learning and increasing accessibility for people across the UK and internationally. I would like to thank Sir Roly for his dedication to the institution and for guiding the British Library through challenging times.

“I am thrilled to congratulate Rebecca Lawrence on her appointment as the new Chief Executive. I am confident that she will continue the excellent leadership we have seen at the British Library, taking forward the Knowledge Matters strategy and the ongoing work to rebuild and recover from the cyber-attack last year.”

The Library’s current Chief Executive, Sir Roly Keating, announced in April that he would be stepping down in early 2025. Following Rebecca’s appointment he is bringing forward his departure to the end of this year.

Sir Roly said: “Along with her deep experience of public service leadership, Rebecca brings an infectious passion for the Library and everything it stands for. After twelve fulfilling years here, I’m excited to be handing over to her for the next chapter in the story of this extraordinary institution.”

New report demands greater understanding of the impact of change on academia

Digital Science publishes report on effect of research transformation on academics and universities

Digital Science, a technology company serving stakeholders across the research ecosystem, is today calling for greater awareness that a myriad of fast-developing technologies are having on academics and their institutions.

This follows the publication of a new report from Digital Science looking at how changing attitudes and behaviors towards research are affecting traditional research models and dynamics. Key themes to emerge from the findings relate to areas of open research, impact and evaluation, tech and AI, collaboration and research security.

The objective of the report – titled Research Transformation: Change in the era of AI, open and impact – was to learn more about how the research world is experiencing transformation, what’s influencing change and how roles within it are being impacted. Digital Science conducted a survey, reaching out to the research community through questionnaires and in-depth interviews. 

Findings from the report may make sobering reading for those involved in academia, as the lightning pace of technological change appears at odds with the traditionally slow-moving nature of the research ecosystem. In total there are five key takeaways:

  1. Open research is transforming research, but barriers remain
  2. Research metrics are evolving to emphasize holistic impact and inclusivity
  3. AI’s transformative potential is huge, but bureaucracy and skill gaps threaten progress
  4. Collaboration is booming, amid increasing concerns over funding and security
  5. Security and risk management need a strategic and cultural overhaul

Digital Science’s new Executive Vice President of Academic, Jonathan Breeze, says: “The Research Transformation: Change in the era of AI, open and impact report gives a voice to the opinions of the academic community and their feelings about changes in the research ecosystem. Importantly, the report gives the whole sector a deeper understanding of the fast-changing needs of academia.

“The report explores how academic roles are evolving, the external drivers of change, and future predictions. It also looks at how Digital Science can support the sector’s changing needs through AI-powered tools and innovations, which is something we’re paying very close attention to across our organization.”

Commenting on the findings, Digital Science’s Mark Hahnel, VP Open Research, and Simon Porter, VP of Research Futures, say: “Our report speaks loudly of the technological advancements, new research practices and global problems driving change in academia. These transformations have created both opportunities and obstacles for institutions and the sector at large. 

“Reflecting on the findings, we believe academic institutions can position themselves to deliver meaningful research in the era of three key developments – AI, open research and research impact.”

The report’s findings are based on survey analysis, plus insights from in-depth interviews. The survey was an online questionnaire of open and closed questions that ran during 29 May-12 July 2024 with a total of 380 respondents from 70 countries. Typically, respondents held roles within the academic library, research office, faculty and leadership teams. Further in-depth interviews were held with 15 participants from the academic community over the summer of 2024. 

Following the publication of the report, there are also several other activities including a webinar hosted in partnership with Times Higher Education. This webinar will feature a panel discussion on the evolving role of research in academia and the transformative impact of AI and other emerging technologies in making research more open, inclusive, and collaborative.

For more details on Digital Science and its solutions for academic institutions, visit our website: digital-science.com/academic 

ResearchGate and AIP Publishing expand Journal Home partnership to cover all proprietary journals and open access agreements

ResearchGate, the professional network for researchers, and AIP Publishing, the publishing division of the American Institute of Physics, have announced an expansion to their Journal Home partnership. 

All AIP Publishing-owned journals will now benefit from increased visibility, usage, authorship and brand profile through Journal Home. In addition, AIP Publishing has become one of the first partners to implement the newly-launched Open Access Agreement Upgrade for Journal Home.

AIP Publishing’s extensive portfolio supports researchers across the breadth of physical sciences, providing a vital platform for authors around the globe. After a successful pilot program with AIP Publishing’s open access titles, this new partnership also now includes content syndication to the ResearchGate platform of all AIP Publishing’s owned journals, including all open access and hybrid titles.

The new partnership provides all of AIP Publishing’s journals with:

  • Seamless content syndication to the ResearchGate platform, reaching 25m+ researcher members around the world, including subscription articles being available for entitled readers.
  • Increased brand visibility, including dedicated journal profiles showcasing key information and content from each title— designed with researchers in mind.
  • Increased author support, including automatic sharing of articles to author profile pages and insights on reader engagement.
  • Enhanced understanding of each journal’s impact, connections, and communities.
  • Increased usage and authorship from the international researcher community

The partnership also integrates Journal Home’s Open Access Agreement Upgrade (OAAU), a powerful new feature that helps publishers reach researchers eligible to publish through AIP Publishing’s open access agreements with institutions and consortia. AIP Publishing’s journals included in Journal Home will now additionally benefit from:

  • Unprecedented ability to reach and inform relevant researchers about their eligibility to receive funding support at AIP Publishing’s journals.
  • Targeted messaging relevant to specific AIP Publishing journals, ensuring the messaging is contextual and useful for each individual researcher.
  • Unique reporting and analytics, enabling AIP Publishing to measure the volume and effectiveness of messaging about their agreements at each stage of the publishing journey — from readership all the way through to authorship. 

“Accessibility is the very heart of AIPP’s vision for an open, equitable approach to scholarly publishing and scientific communication,” said Penelope Lewis, Chief Publishing Officer at AIP Publishing. “Working with ResearchGate has already benefited our open access journals with increased global readership, engagement, and authorship, and we’re pleased to now extend this across our portfolio. It’s incumbent upon us to make the advantages of open access publishing clear to our authors. Our partnership with ResearchGate helps us do just that by giving us greater capacity to inform and engage with eligible researchers — in turn providing them with greater, more direct access to the myriad funding opportunities available to them to publish their articles open access in AIPP journals.”

“AIP Publishing’s commitment to growing uptake of open access aligns with our shared vision for a more open, equitable research landscape. Through our partnership and the OAAU, we’re providing AIP Publishing with an unprecedented opportunity to engage researchers at a personal level and drive meaningful uptake of open access publishing”, said Sören Hofmayer, co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer at ResearchGate. 

For more information about Journal Home, please visit researchgate.net/journal-home

For more information about ResearchGate, please visit www.researchgate.net.  

For more information about AIP Publishing, please visit https://publishing.aip.org/

PeerJ Launches PeerJ Open Advances in Zoology: A New Free to Read, Free to Publish Open Access journal dedicated to tackling the most pressing issues to animal life

PeerJ has announced the launch of PeerJ Open Advances in Zoology, a new Open Access journal dedicated to publishing research and commentary that addresses the most pressing challenges in the field of zoology. With a focus on equity, collaboration, and openness, the journal will eliminate financial barriers to publication and dissemination, making high-impact research and commentary accessible to all by being free to read and free to publish.

Editors-in-Chief Professors Lesley Rogers and Michael Wink lead the journal, supported by a global Editorial Board. The journal will publish impactful work that responds to one of the journal’s Global Challenges, which are owned by dedicated Associate Editors. Articles and contributors will be grouped by Global Challenge, building a corpus of research – and a community – that contributes to answering key questions and overcoming obstacles to completing that Challenge. Every research article will be accompanied by comprehensive peer-review reports and Impact Statements highlighting how the research addresses the journal’s Global Challenges.

Emphasizing the journal’s importance, Prof. Rogers said: “Amidst the rising costs and competition for Open Access publication of scientific papers, this new journal offers free and equitable publication of excellent science to researchers in all countries. This is an exciting new venture aimed at cutting-edge research and discussion of ideas addressing the pressing challenges to animal life now and into the future.”

Prof. Wink adds: “This novel series opens up a new era of Open Access publishing. We hope to attract excellent reviews and original contributions that provide new data, new syntheses, and that tackles the challenges set by the Editorial Board.”

The journal is now open for submissions and invites contributions from researchers who wish to address critical questions in the field of zoology.  Eliminating author fees will ensure that financial barriers don’t hinder the dissemination of critical research, meaning research with the potential to impact the world is available to everyone.

“The journal’s aim  is to provide a collaborative forum for new ideas, and to generate networks of researchers working on the most pressing questions in the field of animal research, to address challenges concerning zoological topics of a global scale,” said Stephen Johnson, Publishing Editor of the Open Advances series.

For more information, visit https://peerj.com/journals/openadv-zoology 

Silverchair To Acquire ScholarOne From Clarivate To Expand Investment & Innovation In Critical Publishing Technology

Silverchair, the leading independent hosting platform partner for scholarly and professional publishers, today announced signing a definitive agreement with Clarivate Plc (NYSE:CLVT), a leading global provider of transformative intelligence, to acquire ScholarOne Manuscripts and ScholarOne Conferences (“ScholarOne”). Upon closing, this new combined offering will set Silverchair apart in the industry as an independent and client-led technology partner to scholarly publishers. With this acquisition, Silverchair will be uniquely capable of helping publishers solve their greatest content and technology challenges.

“For over 30 years, Silverchair has served the needs of publishers as an independent and unconflicted technology partner,” said Silverchair CEO Will Schweitzer. “We believe that innovation and technology can help fulfill the promise of scholarship, and we will make substantial investments in ScholarOne to meet the needs of the research community. This acquisition was part of Founder Thane Kerner’s long-term vision for Silverchair, and I’m pleased to bring it to fruition with the strong support of Thompson Street Capital Partners.”

Emmanuel Thiveaud, Senior Vice President, Research & Analytics, Academia & Government, at Clarivate said: “We are confident that Silverchair is a great home for ScholarOne with a compelling strategic fit. We are delighted that the team at Silverchair recognizes the significance of what we have built at ScholarOne. ScholarOne’s next chapter as part of Silverchair will bring together world-class talent and capabilities with a shared commitment to helping the scholarly publishing community thrive.”

Following significant investment by Thompson Street Capital Partners in 2022, Silverchair has grown by making substantial investments in the flagship Silverchair Platform, adding new partners and products (like Sensus Impact), and launching the Silverchair AI Lab. Following the close of the acquisition in the coming weeks, ScholarOne will join Silverchair as a complementary and critical piece of publishing technology, offering more of Silverchair’s renowned services to more of the publishing lifecycle.

The ScholarOne (Manuscripts & Conferences) submission systems are essential platforms used by more than 9,000 scholarly journals and conferences to review millions of manuscripts and conference abstracts each year. Over 25% of scholarly journals in the world trust ScholarOne.

“The ScholarOne team is excited to continue serving the scholarly publishing community, now as an independent, end-to-end partner,” said Josh Dahl, Senior Director of Product Management for ScholarOne. “We look forward to collaborating with our expanded community to amplify the impact of scholarship by developing these leading technology platforms to meet the needs of publishers, editors, and authors.”

Together with Silverchair’s client-led, customer-focused, and transparent approach, the combined company will meet even more of the needs of the publishing community as an innovative technology and services provider.

Driving growth for integrated infrastructure

Both the Silverchair Platform and ScholarOne are essential pieces of publishing infrastructure. With this acquisition, Silverchair will harness the full potential of these complementary technologies and workflows to accelerate innovation in scholarly publishing, particularly with AI and in research integrity. Publishers may now partner with Silverchair through even more of the publishing lifecycle, from submission and review to content hosting, productization, and distribution.

“We’re delighted by this news and look forward to working with Silverchair across more of the publication process,” said John Campbell, Product Strategy Director for Oxford University Press. “We’ve seen the impact and success of our partnership providing exceptional platform services to the research community and will work with Silverchair to bring that same approach to submission and peer review. We have a long-standing relationship with ScholarOne and are excited for this next phase of transformation and development.”   

Building a future for long-term commitment

This acquisition marks a key milestone in Silverchair’s continued investment in scholarly publishing infrastructure to serve the community. Clients will benefit from further expansion and investment in both ScholarOne’s offerings as well as the Silverchair Platform.

“We see amazing potential to implement AI and automations across the publishing lifecycle, bringing efficiencies and integrations that will benefit a diverse group of stakeholders from authors through to readers,” said Emilie Delquié, Chief Product & Customer Success Officer. “Our planned strategic investment will ensure ScholarOne leads publishing workflows in trust, transparency, and user experience. By bringing Silverchair’s signature level of service and community to ScholarOne, we can truly transform publishing infrastructure.”

Silverchair will develop a bold vision for the future of ScholarOne, with transparent feedback and input from all stakeholders. This acquisition gives Silverchair increased global reach and scale to consider holistic improvements to scholarly publishing infrastructure and workflows. The acquisition is expected to close within the fourth quarter of 2024 subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

ACS Publications partners with Kudos to accelerate global sustainable development

Kudos and the Publications Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) are proud to announce a new partnership to increase the reach and impact of research relating to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The collaboration will see ACS Publications joining the SDG Knowledge Cooperative, an initiative led by Kudos wherein publishers join forces to help more people find, understand and act on research that will help drive progress towards achieving the SDGs.

ACS has identified 7 goals that are “foundational to the work of the chemistry community”; Kudos will help identify articles published within ACS Journals with the greatest impact potential in terms of driving innovation, changing attitudes and, behaviours, and accelerating better outcomes. Selected articles will be summarized for broader audiences, and actively promoted to groups including industry, educators, policy makers and the media.

“Chemistry is fundamental to achieving many of the SDGs, from providing clean water to developing green energy solutions,” says ACS Publications President James Milne, PhD. “This collaboration with Kudos will help amplify the reach and impact of key research that supports the SDGs, making innovations more accessible and actionable for scientists, and for the many stakeholders who can accelerate society’s progress towards achieving the SDGs.”

“The SDGs encapsulate the biggest problems facing the world today,” says Charlie Rapple, co-founder of Kudos and lead for its SDG program. “The research that will solve many of these problems is already underway – many of the solutions exist; our challenge is to make sure that those solutions are known about and being applied in the places where they are most needed. I’m excited to be joining forces with ACS Publications in our quest to maximize the reach and impact of research.”

ACS is a sponsor of Kudos’ ongoing research into how researchers, universities, and funders are aligning their work with the SDGs, offering actionable recommendations for stakeholders looking to engage with SDG-related opportunities. The findings from this study will be published next month.

For more information about the SDG Knowledge Cooperative:
https://info.growkudos.com/landing/sdg-knowledge-cooperative

For more information about the SDG research study:
https://info.growkudos.com/landing/real-world-change-sdg-research-study

For more information about ACS’ SDG program: https://www.acs.org/sustainability/chemistry-sustainable-development-goals.html

IOP Publishing partners with Baidu Scholar to provide excellent publishing services in China 

IOP Publishing (IOPP) and Baidu Scholar, a Chinese academic search engine, have formed a partnership to integrate IOPP’s academic resources onto the Baidu platform. The partnership makes it easier for researchers to find and access IOPP’s content via Baidu’s convenient and user-friendly platform. 

Baidu Scholar will label IOPP journals with an “official certification mark” to help promote the journal brand and improve the search quality for Chinese scholars.  It also includes an ‘online submission’ button, providing researchers with a seamless ‘one-click submission’ option that easily submits their work to the platform. 

Emmie Yang, Head of Publishing, APAC at IOP Publishing, said: “This partnership underlines IOPP’s commitment to provide excellent and localised publishing services in China. Fully certifying IOPP journals on the Baidu platform will bring assurance to readers of our journals’ authenticity and increased visibility for our authors and their work.” 

IOPP has joined more than 1.2 million academic sites on Baidu Scholar, providing nearly three billion services to tens of millions of academic users each year. 

cOAlition S announces the release of an independent study on the impact of Plan S

cOAlition S is pleased to announce the release of an independent, comprehensive study assessing the impact of Plan S on the scholarly communication landscape. Conducted by scidecode science consulting, following a tender process, this study provides the first assessment of the impact of Plan S five years after its launch.

Titled “Galvanising the Open Access Community: A Study on the Impact of Plan S”, the report combines quantitative analysis with qualitative insights from key stakeholders across the academic publishing ecosystem.

Key highlights

The authors of the study highlight that Plan S has opened new avenues for achieving full and immediate Open Access, successfully placing Open Access high on policymakers’ agendas and bringing publishers to the negotiating table with institutions. The study underscores the potentially game-changing effect of the rights retention strategy, which institutions have since expanded into their own Rights Retention Policies. It also notes the contribution to the current momentum around Diamond Open Access, and the role of cOAlition S in raising awareness of the inequities of article-based charges publishing models.

The authors note that it may be too early to fully assess Plan S’s quantitative impact, as many policies only took effect in 2021 or later, and they recommend revisiting the study in 5-10 years. However, observing significant progress in the push towards full and immediate Open Access since Plan S was first announced and the influential role of the alliance of research funders, they recommend continuing cOAlition S beyond 2025. The authors also emphasize that any meaningful transition towards more sustainable, affordable and equitable publishing will require collaboration among all actors in this ecosystem.

→ The full study, along with its underpinning dataset, can be accessed via Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13738479

cOAlition S commissioned this independent study to objectively assess the impact of Plan S. Despite the challenging scope and the inherent difficulties associated with assessing the impact a policy intervention has had in a short timeframe, the insights gleaned from the analysis of scidecode science consulting, the stakeholder feedback and subsequent recommendations will help inform our future plans and the ongoing efforts to achieve full and immediate open access to research publications.

Open Access Partnerships Key to Increasing the Global Impact of African Research

Collaboration between libraries and publishers accelerating access to the work of African scholars

The work of researchers in Africa is experiencing increased international reach, supported by new open access (OA) partnerships between research libraries and publishers. Recent forums in South Africa have highlighted the importance of this cooperation for the continued growth and impact of Africa’s rich research output.

A fundamental shift in Africa’s research visibility is underway, through an acceleration in OA publications. For example, in each of the last two years, the number of African articles published OA in Taylor & Francis journals has grown by 20%. As their research becomes more available, African scholars are now better positioned to influence global development, drive policy changes, and foster societal progress through their work.

Transformative Strategies for Expanding Research Visibility

This theme was explored by leading librarians and researchers at recent ‘Academic Allies’ events, hosted in Johannesburg and Cape Town by Taylor & Francis. Delegates emphasized the particularly transformative effect of ‘Read and Publish’ OA agreements, which are now offering Southern African researchers increased visibility and influence on the global stage. ‘Read and Publish’ agreements enable institutions to cover the costs of OA publishing, allowing many more researchers to choose open access.

In March, the South African National Library and Information Consortium (SANLiC) and Taylor & Francis announced a new three-year agreement, which supports researchers in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia to publish OA articles in over 2,100 journals. Delegates at the recent events were given an overview of the early successes of this partnership and speakers explained its importance.

Prof. Maria Frahm-Arp, Executive Director, Library and Information Science, University of Johannesburg stated, “There is widespread skepticism around pay-to-publish journals, but initiatives such as ‘Read and Publish’ agreements transfer that cost from the researcher to the institution, making open access more accessible across all disciplines.” Prof. Frahm-Arp emphasized “the importance of publishers like Taylor & Francis continuing to develop transformative agreements that ease the financial strain on researchers and expand access to knowledge.”

Dr Gilford Tapera Hapanyengwi, Director ICT, Zimbabwe Council for Higher Education said, “Content creation is imperative for the development of our education systems, and Taylor & Francis’s partnership is central to this transformation.” Dr Hapanyengwi also stressed “the critical role Taylor & Francis plays in rolling out initiatives like Heritage-Based Education 5.0 in Southern Africa.”

Practical strategies were also shared during the events, empowering attendees with actionable insights that will further boost the accessibility and influence of African academic contributions.

A Strong Commitment to Southern Africa’s Academic Future

The ‘Academic Allies’ forum underscored Taylor & Francis’ unwavering dedication to advancing research excellence in Southern Africa. The event was a testament to their commitment to nurturing long-term partnerships with SANLiC and other influential stakeholders. This collaboration aligns with SANLiC’s vision of providing cost-effective access to high-quality electronic resources in support of teaching, research, and learning in public higher education institutions.

As part of this effort, the forum highlighted the importance of continuous capacity-building initiatives, the integration of research-oriented learning, and the provision of ongoing support to Southern African universities. These steps will equip the academic community to lead the region’s future developments in the global academic sphere, ensuring African scholars are not only contributors but also key players in driving global innovation.

Nitasha Devasar, Managing Director- India, VP & Commercial Lead- India, South Asia & Africa remarked “Our partnership with SANLiC exemplifies our commitment to advancing diversity and equity in scholarly communication. We believe that by working together we will be able to significantly enhance the global reach and discoverability of Southern African research, maximizing its impact in Africa and more widely.”

Further information

The impact of open access research from Africa: How African researchers are influencing policy

SANLiC and Taylor & Francis Announce New Open Access Program for Researchers in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia

Biochemical Society journals transformed

We’re delighted to share that we will have a compliant open access (OA) route for all papers published in Biochemical Society journals in 2025, completing our planned transformation to an OA publisher.   

We made a pledge to create funder and institutionally compliant OA routes for all published articles to Plan S deadlines, and we are proud to share we have achieved this through four OA pathways, the fourth being Subscribe to Open to be implemented in 2025. Forces guiding the pace and method of our transition were:   

  • our strategic mission to ensure greater equity, diversity, and inclusion;   
  • actors within the scholarly communications landscape who set the agenda and provided guidance; organisations such as the Subscribe to Open Community of Practice, the Society Publishers Coalition, Jisc, CAUL and our many other consortia partners, ALPSP, UKRI, Wellcome, Plan S and more.  
  • our scientific community who sees value in producing and sharing results that (with more open data) are reproducible and readily accessible regardless of economic circumstances of region, institution, or career stage.  

As a fully OA publisher, we will have greater means to promote discovery of our authors’ research, broadening dissemination globally, and continuing to deliver great publishing experiences for our authors. We commit to high standards of peer review and quality control, to best in industry production turnaround times, and to taking responsibility for the integrity of the scientific record.   

We need financial stability, as do the institutions who support our work. As chair of Portland Press, Professor Nigel Hooper notes:

“Partnering with institutions and consortia to achieve fee-free OA for authors globally is a shared and mutual mission. The Biochemical Society (and its publishing arm, Portland Press) appreciate the ongoing financial support of many who are actively helping us to transition to a position where we can offer an OA route for all papers”. 

Therefore, thank you to our library community, on whose support we depend. Publishing surpluses are gifted back to the Society, helping to fund scholars through grants and bursaries, to subsidise events and training, to create opportunities for our members at all stages of their career development. Our mission is to achieve a rich scientific culture based on accessible and trusted research for the advancement of the molecular biosciences.   

MDPI Champions Open Access for Global Progress

MDPI, a leading open access (OA) publisher, is proud to announce its participation in International Open Access Week 2024, 21–27 October. This year’s theme, “Community over Commercialization”, resonates with MDPI’s commitment to publishing insights for everyone, regardless of background.

OA Week is a valuable opportunity to inspire engagement with the open access movement and to advocate for more sustainable and inclusive scholarly communication. This mission, shared by MDPI, helps to ensure that all communities have the means to participate in shaping global futures.

To support these aims, MDPI will be sharing a variety of digital resources discussing quality and ethics in OA publishing, the tools we provide to support researchers, and the benefits of OA and open research. For more information on MDPI’s initiatives, please visit our website.

By working together to further open access, we can collectively contribute to democratizing knowledge sharing among the global research community and society at large. Join us as we promote a culture of inclusivity in scholarly publishing.

Stefan Tochev, CEO of MDPI: ”Since its inception, MDPI has been an advocate for open access, driven by the need to reimagine academic publishing. As a leading OA publisher, MDPI is actively working to liberate science. We are dedicated to removing the barriers that researchers and the public face when accessing information, ensuring it is not locked behind paywalls. We firmly believe that everyone has the right to access information. By prioritizing open scholarship, we empower researchers to exchange ideas globally, accelerating scientific discovery and advancing social progress through more inclusive and impactful research.”

Qatar’s research extends its global reach with Figshare-powered repository

Researchers and institutions in Qatar are now directly sharing their outputs with the world thanks to Manara, the research repository by Qatar National Library.

Powered by Figshare, a leading provider of institutional repository infrastructure that supports open research, Manara was launched in 2022 to serve as a digital archive of Qatar’s research.

Leveraging the platform, Qatar National Library aims to ensure the long-term preservation of the nation’s knowledge and its dissemination to the rest of the world.

As of the start of Open Access Week 2024, Manara has become home to more than 6,300 research outputs from 25 institutions, serving over 106,000 downloads and 174,000 views across 149 countries worldwide – predominantly from the United States, Qatar, and several European countries – highlighting the international impact of the project. 

The platform continues to grow, with two prominent Qatar-based research institutions recently signing up to share their outputs and make Manara their institutional repository, namely the University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU).

The repository incorporates traditional research outputs – such as articles and monographs – as well as non-traditional outputs – such as datasets, conference proceedings, posters and presentations, and multimedia galleries. The team at QNL is also leveraging Manara’s functionality to further support Green Open Access initiatives, with the publication of preprints in the repository.

Marcin Werla, Director of Digital Collections at Qatar National Library, said Manara contributes a great deal to the Library’s mission to preserve Qatar’s research outputs for future generations, and to share that knowledge with the world. “Interest in Manara has been steadily growing since the platform’s launch two years ago, as evidenced by our expanding partnerships and increased global visibility,” Mr Werla said.

Mark Hahnel, Figshare Founder and Digital Science’s VP, Open Research, said: “It’s incredibly pleasing to see Qatar National Library becoming a champion of open research both locally and within the region. It’s my hope that QNL’s infrastructure solution, in the form of Manara, could inspire other institutions within Qatar to join, as two others already have, as well as inspiring other countries in the region to follow the same path. It’s critically important that local knowledge is preserved and shared for the benefit of society, and that’s exactly what we’re seeing with the growing number of outputs and the growing visibility for those outputs on Manara. Qatar has an even brighter open research future ahead, with the opportunity for green OA initiatives and the publication of preprints in the repository.”

Find out more about Manara: https://www.qnl.qa/en/manara-repository/about

1...272829...491Page 28 of 491
© STM Publishing News 2025