Strategies, models and evaluation metrics for the goal-oriented, stepwise, sustainable and fair transformation of established subscription-based scientific journals into open-access-based journals with Methods of Information in Medicine as example

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Reinhold Haux
• Term: from 2015 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 274974695

Based on today‘s information and communication technologies the open access paradigm has become an important approach for adequately communicating new scientific knowledge. Successfully transforming well-established publication organs - such as subscription-based scientific journals - turned out to be more difficult as expected. Elaborating appropriate strategies as well as models with associated evaluation metrics to assess transformation success could play an important role for the adequate communication of new scientific knowledge, in particular in the context of exemplary transforming journals by using these evaluation metrics, and when scientifically supervised and presented. Requirements such as goal-oriented, stepwise, sustainable and fair seem to be of specific importance for such a transformation. This project aims at developing and exploring strategies, models and evaluation metrics (as ‘controlling tools‘) for the goal-oriented, stepwise, sustainable and fair transformation of established subscription-based scientific journals into open-access-based journals. As example for such a transformation the journal Methods of Information in Medicine will be used. In being nationally and internationally visible, this project may help to elaborate new and important fundamentals, being used for other publication organs by publishers and by scientific organizations in making appropriate decisions for successfully transforming subscription-based scientific journals (or other publication organs) into open access. It also aims to point out, how small and mediate publishers (independent of their organization as company, self-publishing entity or scientific society) can better compete with, in particular, large international publishers in using today‘s information and communication technologies for innovative, flexible publication services, oriented at the needs of authors and readers.

• DFG Programme: Science Communication, Research Data, eResearch (Scientific Library Services and Information Systems)