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Open Science Infrastructure in Croatia: Examples and Trends

Posted on by Hans Dillaerts

Authors : Jelena Bolkovac, Andrea Zabjan Bogut, Tamara Kraina

This paper will present examples of open science infrastructure and trends in Croatia as well as a view of librarians’ role in development and support of open science infrastructure. The aim of this paper is to showcase several parts of the Croatian open science infrastructure which were formed with the idea of Open Access in mind and with heavy involvement of librarians. Croatian national e-infrastructure for academic and scientific community has been in development since the founding of the University Computing Centre (SRCE) within the University of Zagreb in 1971.

SRCE has become a major national infrastructural ICT institution and is involved in most of the open science infrastructure projects in Croatia. Open Access has been a key point of Croatian e-infrastructure since the 90’s when the Open Access movement started in 1997 with the launch of the first version of the Croatian scientific bibliography – CROSBI developed by the Ruđer Bošković Institute Library.

From the beginning, it offered an option of storing a full text file alongside the bibliographic record which was an advanced concept at that time. HRČAK is a central Open Access portal launched in 2006. It offers Open Access to papers from Croatian scientific and professional journals as well as journals for the popularization of science and culture. DABAR (Digital Academic Archives and Repositories) was launched in 2015 as a digital object repository for higher education and research institutions in Croatia.

It was the result of cooperation between SRCE and National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) who recognised the need for this key component in the Croatian e-infrastructure. Repositories in DABAR are encouraged to register with Open DOAR and OpenAIRE. Croatia is moving forward with Open Access and Open Science Infrastructure with the launch of the Croatian Research Information System CroRIS in 2023.

URL : Open Science Infrastructure in Croatia: Examples and Trends

DOI : https://doi.org/10.21428/1bfadeb6.b6c29488

 

EN

DeepGreen—A Data Hub for the Distribution of Scholarly Articles From Publishers to Open Access Repositories in Germany

Posted on by Hans Dillaerts

Authors: Tomasz Stompor, Heinz Pampel, Julia Boltze-Fütterer, Beate Rusch

  • DeepGreen is an automated delivery service for open access articles. Originally conceived to take advantage of the so-called open access component—a secondary publication right in Alliance and National licences in Germany to promote green open access—it aims to streamline open access processes by automating the distribution of full-text articles and metadata from publishers to repositories.
  • The service, developed by a consortium and funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) in its initial phase, has successfully established itself as a national service, facilitating open access content distribution and contributing to Germany’s open access infrastructure.
  • As of December 2024, DeepGreen distributes articles from 14 publishers to 84 institutional repositories and 6 subject-specific repositories.
  • This article describes the role of the DeepGreen service in Germany, its collaboration with publishers and the potential of automated processes for storing articles in open access repositories, which, as publicly owned institutional infrastructures, ensure sustainable access and provide secure, redundant storage.

URL : DeepGreen—A Data Hub for the Distribution of Scholarly Articles From Publishers to Open Access Repositories in Germany

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.70000

EN

Research on Research Visibility

Posted on by Hans Dillaerts

Authors : Enrique Orduña-Malea, Cristina I. Font-Julián

This editorial explores the significance of research visibility within the evolving landscape of academic communication, mainly focusing on the role of search engines as online meta-markets shaping the impact of research. With the rapid expansion of scientific output and the increasing reliance on algorithm-driven platforms such as Google and Google Scholar, the online visibility of scholarly work has become an essential factor in determining its reach and influence.

The need for more rigorous research into academic search engine optimization (A-SEO), a field still in its infancy despite its growing relevance, is also discussed, highlighting key challenges in the field, including the lack of robust research methodologies, the skepticism within the academic community regarding the commercialization of science, and the need for standardization in reporting and measurement techniques.

This editorial thus invites a multidisciplinary dialogue on the future of research visibility, with significant implications for academic publishing, science communication, research evaluation, and the global scientific ecosystem.

URL : Research on Research Visibility

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1344/bid2024.53.01

EN

Open science in Spain: Influence of personal and contextual factors on deposit patterns

Posted on by Hans Dillaerts

Author :  Daniel de Gracia Palomera

Background

This study investigates factors influencing the deposit of academic publications and research data in open access repositories by Spanish researchers.

Methods

Using survey data from a sample of Spanish academics, the research examines the impact of personal attributes (e.g., gender, age, knowledge of open science) and contextual variables (e.g., academic discipline, institutional type) on deposit behaviours. Quantitative methods, including chi-square tests and regression analysis, reveal significant associations between knowledge of open science and deposit practices.

Results

Researchers familiar with open science principles were more likely to deposit multiple versions of articles and datasets, albeit with varying intensity. Key findings highlight disciplinary and institutional differences: researchers in Life Sciences and Experimental Sciences showed higher engagement with both article and data deposits, whereas Health Sciences lagged. Gender differences were also observed, with male researchers depositing articles and datasets more frequently than their female counterparts, though age showed limited impact. Public institutions exhibited lower data deposit rates despite mandates supporting open access.

Conclusions

The study underscores the need for tailored policies, including awareness campaigns, infrastructure investment, and discipline-specific strategies, to promote equitable and widespread adoption of open science practices. Findings contribute to understanding open science implementation, emphasizing the interplay of individual, institutional, and systemic factors.

URL : Open science in Spain: Influence of personal and contextual factors on deposit patterns

DOI : https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.160207.1

 

EN

Moving Open Repositories out of the Blind Spot of Initiatives to Correct the Scholarly Record

Posted on by Hans Dillaerts

Author : Frédérique Bordignon

Open repositories were created to enhance access and visibility of scholarly publications, driven by open science ideals emphasising transparency and accessibility. However, they lack mechanisms to update the status of corrected or retracted publications, posing a threat to the integrity of the scholarly record. To explore the scope of the problem, a manually verified corpus was examined: we extracted all the entries in the Crossref × Retraction Watch database for which the publication date of the corrected or retracted document ranged from 2013 to 2023.

This corresponded to 24,430 entries with a DOI, which we use to query Unpaywall and identify their possible indexing in HAL, an open repository (second largest institutional repository worldwide). In most cases (91%), HAL does not mention corrections. While the study needs broader scope, it highlights the necessity of improving the role of open repositories in correction processes with better curation practices.

We discuss how harvesting operations and the interoperability of platforms can maintain the integrity of the entire scholarly record. Not only will the open repositories avoid damaging its reliability through ambiguous reporting, but on the contrary, they will also strengthen it.

URL : Moving Open Repositories out of the Blind Spot of Initiatives to Correct the Scholarly Record

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1655

EN

The Impact of Print-on-Demand on Spanish University Presses

Posted on by Hans Dillaerts

Authors : Marta Magadán-Díaz, Jesús I. Rivas-García

The university book plays a crucial role in disseminating research and teaching, but its usage has declined due to a preference for journal articles and digital materials. This article examines how Spanish university presses are employing Print-on-Demand (POD) to adapt to changes in the publishing market, enhancing flexibility, reducing costs and optimising the production of monographs and academic books. POD enables publishers to print copies based on actual demand, minimising the risk of overproduction and storage costs.

This model has transformed the publishing supply chain, offering efficient solutions for managing the lifecycle of books, from their launch to potential delisting. University presses are also using innovations in digital printing to respond swiftly to fluctuations in the academic market. This study adopts a qualitative approach to examine how POD affects scholarly publishers’ efficiency, longevity and production strategies, proposing that this technology is crucial for the future sustainability and competitiveness of the sector. The flexibility of POD is vital in environments where demand is unpredictable, and scholarly publishers must manage financial resources carefully.

URL : The Impact of Print-on-Demand on Spanish University Presses

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1658

EN

Open minds, tied hands: Awareness, behavior, and reasoning on open science and irresponsible research behavior

Posted on by Hans Dillaerts

Authors : Wisnu Wiradhany, Farah M. Djalal, Anique B. H. de Bruin

Background

Knowledge on Open Science Practices (OSP) has been promoted through responsible conduct of research training and the development of open science infrastructure to combat Irresponsible Research Behavior (IRB). Yet, there is limited evidence for the efficacy of OSP in minimizing IRB.

Methods

We asked N=778 participants to fill in questionnaires that contain OSP and ethical reasoning vignettes, and report self-admission rates of IRB and personality traits.

Results

We found that against our initial prediction, even though OSP was negatively correlated with IRB, this correlation was very weak, and upon controlling for individual differences factors, OSP neither predicted IRB nor was this relationship moderated by ethical reasoning. On the other hand, individual differences factors, namely dark personality triad, and conscientiousness and openness, contributed more to IRB than OSP knowledge.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that OSP knowledge needs to be complemented by the development of ethical virtues to encounter IRBs more effectively.

URL : Open minds, tied hands: Awareness, behavior, and reasoning on open science and irresponsible research behavior

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1080/08989621.2025.2457100