Diamond Open Access in Scholarly Publishing: An Infrastructural and Historical Approach to its Governance

This paper is a comprehensive examination of the Diamond Open Access (DOA) model, written by Jean-Claude Guédon in the context of discussions within the OPERAS Scientific Advisory Committee on Diamond Open Access in October 2024. The paper begins with a historical perspective on the evolution of scientific publishing since 1870, analysing the development and transformation of scholarly communication infrastructures.

Guédon emphasises the crucial role of infrastructure in scholarly publishing, discussing how technological advancements have reshaped journals and the potential of digital platforms to enhance dissemination. He draws parallels with the evolution of the internet to highlight the importance of prioritising openness and accessibility in scholarly platforms. The paper concludes by advocating for governance structures that ensure the sustainability and inclusivity of DOA models, enabling them to serve the scholarly community effectively without imposing financial barriers on readers or authors.

The paper is also published in the OPERAS Living Book and is open for annotation and comments: https://operas-eu.org/special-interest-group-living-book/diamond-open-access-in-scholarly-publishing-2024/