University group backs revised Plan S open-access initiative

The European University Association has welcomed the revised implementation guidance for the radical open-access initiative Plan S, saying that the changes adopted have addressed the main concerns.

“EUA continues to support Plan S and welcomes the greater clarity provided” by the new guidelines, the association said in a statement on 21 June. “The association is very pleased to see that the revised guidelines address the main points raised during the consultation process, in particular the additional principle on addressing the way research is assessed.”

The reference to research assessment relates to an increased emphasis on this issue in the revised guidelines. In contrast with the original format announced in 2018, the revision makes it a core principle of the initiative that funders commit to assess research based on its own merit, rather than the outlet that it is published in.