Weekly digest: the latest news on topics important to Open Pharma

Amy Williams

Featuring data on how much article processing charges cost universities, an overview of transparency tools, the July workstream reports and how authors can push for open science without disadvantaging their careers.

How much does open access cost universities? via OpenAPC

We know the answer is ‘a lot’, but this site compiles and publishes the spending of each university on gold open access article processing charges – and the numbers are staggering.

Tools supporting ethics and integrity in submission and review via Open Pharma

In this guest piece for Open Pharma, Alison O’Connell of Aries Systems explores the transparency tools that are available as part of the Editorial Manager system, and investigates how they can help to improve  academic publishing.

Open Science won’t be built in a day via Authorea

This preprint discusses the very real problems that many researchers, even those in favour of more open publishing techniques, face when working within the constraints of the academic status quo. The author suggests working within the system by using addendums to retain re-use rights and opting, whenever possible, for a CC-BY licence over a CC-BY-NC.

Ireland launches open data portal  via The Huffington Post

This article describes how the government portal will provide a central hub, making data from hundreds of sources from across the Irish healthcare system openly available.

Could citation analysis be the answer to the reproducability crisis? via Authorea

In this preprint, the authors propose a new method of citation analysis designed to address some of the problems of the reproducibility crisis afflicting medical research.

Will scholarly publishers meet the same fate as Borders and Blockbuster?  via Synergy

The publishing industry has managed to avoid the fate of many businesses selling music, books and films in the advent of the internet and free information, while still posting huge profits. This article asks whether publishers will manage to remain outliers.

An interview with Ashley Farley from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation via OpenScience

In this interview, Farley speaks about the open access policy of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and takes a broader look at the landscape of Open Science as a whole.

Open Pharma July workstream reports via Open Pharma

These are summaries of the four Open Pharma workstream meetings held in July, covering key points and next steps.