Plan S is an initiative launched in September 2018 by a consortium of national research funding organizations, with the support of the European Commission and the European Research Council, known as cOAlition S. The primary aim of Plan S is to ensure full and immediate Open Access to published research funded by public grants provided by participating national and European research councils and funding bodies by 2021. This bold move is intended to accelerate the transition to a completely open access publishing system, where scientific outputs are immediately available to the public without paywalls, hence enhancing the circulation of knowledge and fostering innovation.
Under the guidelines of Plan S, researchers are required to publish their work in compliant open access journals or platforms. One of the key features of Plan S is its emphasis on the rights of authors over publishers. The plan mandates that authors retain intellectual property rights, specifically through the use of Creative Commons licenses, which allow for unrestricted sharing and adaptation of the material, provided the original authors are appropriately credited. This is a significant departure from the traditional subscription-based publishing model, where publishers often retain exclusive rights.
Financially, Plan S introduces a cap on article processing charges (APCs), aiming to standardize fees across the publishing industry and maintain affordability while ensuring high-quality peer review and editorial services. This aspect of Plan S addresses concerns about the economic viability of the open access model for publishers, while also discouraging exorbitantly priced journals. Furthermore, Plan S discourages the practice of 'double dipping', where publishers charge both for making an article open access and for subscribing to the journal, thus promoting a more equitable scholarly communication system.
In terms of compliance and monitoring, Plan S relies on a robust framework that includes a compliance monitor to track whether publishers are adhering to its mandates. This is designed to ensure transparency and accountability. Additionally, Plan S encourages the growth of a diverse array of compliant platforms and repositories, fostering a competitive and innovative publishing landscape. The initiative also aligns with broader movements towards data_sharing and scientific_reproducibility, advocating for public access to research data and methodologies to validate and build upon existing findings. Overall, Plan S represents a transformative approach to the dissemination of research, aiming to demolish barriers to information access and accelerate scientific progress.