Confronting the Challenges and Celebrating the Opportunities of Diamond Open Access

In December of 2024, I traveled to Cape Town, South Africa for the Second Global Summit on Diamond Open Access. Building on the foundations laid at the first summit (held in Toluca, Mexico, in October 2023), this event again brought together the global community dedicated to advancing equitable and inclusive scholarly communication. Themed “Centering social justice in scholarly communication to advance research as a public good,” the Cape Town summit emphasized the potential of diamond open access (DOA), where scholarly output is free to read and publish, to address systemic inequities.

The journey from Toluca to Cape Town marks a significant evolution in the global dialogue on diamond open access. From its initial focus on “quality, sustainability, usability, and equity of access,” the agenda has expanded to embrace a more ambitious commitment to social equity, decolonization, and systemic reform in scholarly publishing. This broadening reflects the growing recognition of community-owned and non-commercial publishing practices as the foundation for sustainable and inclusive scholarly publication systems.

The Cape Town summit built on the momentum of the inaugural meeting in Toluca and provided a platform for experts to confront the challenges of the diamond model while also celebrating its unique opportunities. This report captures the key themes, discussions, and outcomes of the summit, which culminated in the Toluca-Cape Town Declaration on Diamond Open Access.

Presentations from the summit can be found here.

Day 1: Setting the Stage

The summit opened with welcome addresses by speakers from various regions and institutions who emphasized the urgent need to redefine knowledge dissemination to make it more inclusive and accessible. They called attention to historical imbalances in knowledge production and sharing, urging stakeholders to acknowledge and address these inequities. They also highlighted how DOA publishing is committed to upholding these values, standing firm against the dominance of the commercial publishing industry.

The multilingual nature of the summit was evident from the start. Organizers ensured simultaneous translations into Spanish, French, and Portuguese, making the event as global and accessible as possible. Not all speeches were in English; many speakers addressed the audience in their native languages, adding richness to the dialogue. That said, the summit’s multilingualism occasionally led to memorable moments of imperfection. For instance, during Arianna Becerril’s opening speech in Spanish, her rapid pace (she had a lot to share in her allocated five minutes) overwhelmed the translator, who at one point exclaimed, “She is going too fast!” This moment, though humorous, made clear Becerril’s passion for social justice and her urgency in conveying her frustration about the commercial hijacking of the OA movement, particularly in Latin America, where a successful diamond OA system exists but faces challenges from over-commercialization.

Inspired by Becerril’s address, when my turn came to deliver a five-minute welcome from Asia, I emphasized the inequities perpetuated by commercial publishing, the necessity of advancing diamond OA to make knowledge truly accessible to all, and the urgent need for collective action in our region. Asia produces nearly 40 percent of global publications, yet much valuable regional literature remains unindexed due to biases in proprietary databases that ignore local language journals and prefer only English as the lingua franca. I also reflected on how the pandemic showed us the dangers of delayed access to knowledge and stressed that we cannot wait for another crisis to act.

In her keynote address, Professor Linda Tuhiwai Te Rina Smith shared a deeply personal story about her experience as an Indigenous scholar and the struggle she had to navigate, carving out a space to share her work within the academic publishing system, where entrenched norms and practices are unkind to non-traditional works. The address critically examined the systemic biases in scholarly publishing, particularly toward local knowledge systems. She questioned common definitions of excellence and impact and emphasized the need to decolonize academic systems.

Her speech set the tone for the summit’s focus on social justice and concluded the first day on a hopeful yet reflective note, reminding us of the ongoing struggle to preserve local knowledge in the face of commercial pressures.

Day 2: Broadening the Discussion

Exploring Inclusivity and Decolonization

The second day of the summit delved into the intersection of social justice and scholarly communication. Speakers discussed how DOA can serve as a tool for decolonization and the demarginalization of local knowledge systems. Key themes included:

• Linguistic Diversity: Speakers scrutinized the dominance of English in global academia, making calls to embrace multilingualism and ensure the inclusion of diverse languages, particularly in African contexts. Participants highlighted initiatives that promote indigenous languages in scholarly publishing. A recurring theme throughout the summit was the multilingual nature of scholarly publishing and how the indexing databases’ bias toward English-language journals has marginalized other languages. Many speakers, including Janne Pölönen, pointed out the essential role of diamond open access in supporting multilingualism in scholarly communication.
• Rejection of Article Processing Charges (APCs): Several sessions criticized APC-driven models as inherently inequitable as well as unsustainable, advocating for alternative funding mechanisms.
• Preservation of Local Knowledge: Speakers celebrated efforts like the Qatar National Library’s archiving of regional heritage as vital to safeguarding cultural identity and fostering global knowledge exchange.
• Critique of Commercial Publishing Models: The shortcomings of the commercial model in open access publishing were discussed, with participants advocating for transparent, community-driven alternatives that prioritize equity.

Discussions emphasized the role of DOA in fostering a scientifically literate society, including by leveling the playing field in higher education. Drawing on theories of social justice and the capability approach, speakers argued that access to knowledge should be a fundamental human right.

Global Perspectives on Social Justice and DOA

The dialogue was enriched by unique regional insights from speakers from around the globe:

• China: Participants highlighted two decades of advancements in OA publishing, showcasing the country’s leadership and commitment to making scholarly work accessible.
• Arab Region: In discussions of challenges in developing a robust diamond OA ecosystem, such as limited funding and human resource constraints, participants stressed the need for regional collaboration and international support.
• India: A critical analysis of the academic system revealed the adverse impact of ranking metrics on research quality. Stakeholders advocated for reforms to promote quality over quantity in scholarly outputs. I contributed to this segment, using findings from research conducted at the DST-Centre for Policy Research at the Indian Institute of Science, where I am a senior research analyst. Our studies have shown how research publications are misaligned with countries’ needs, how the quest for higher ranking is fuelling misconduct in research, and how the number of publications from Indian higher education institutions (HEIs), especially from private institutions, is growing at an alarming rate.
• Indonesia: Dr. Arbain Arbain presented another success story in building an extensive network of diamond OA journals, with significant efforts underway to improve the management of over 17,000 diamond OA journals. Key initiatives include offering free Open Journal Systems (OJS) training. However, challenges remain, such as the tendency of some journals to start with a diamond OA model but later transition to paid models. (Other challenges were discussed in detail in Dasapta Erwin Irawan’s recent article in Katina.)
• Africa: Professor Mary Oyiela Abukutsa-Onyango shared the success story of her work on indigenous vegetables, which was published in open access journals, enabling the research to reach farmers, policymakers, and communities worldwide. Along with other examples, Abukutsa-Onyango’s story demonstrated the tangible societal impact of open access. Her story was the highlight of the whole summit and built the spirit of support for DOA.
• Global Critique of APC Models: Participants reaffirmed the unsustainability of APC-based models and called for prioritizing ethical and equitable practices in scholarly communication.

Day 3: Exploring Solutions

Sustainable Infrastructure and the Need for Diamond Open Access

A dedicated session explored innovations to mainstream DOA. Presentations highlighted:

• Technological Innovations: Participants presented platforms like AfricArXiv as examples of how digital infrastructure can support regional and global knowledge exchange and discussed the development of educational and research infrastructure in eastern and southern Africa.
• Bibliodiversity: Speakers emphasized the importance of bibliodiversity and shared infrastructure in promoting inclusivity and advocating for systems that respect diverse research outputs.
• Addressing Regional Disparities: Discussions pointed out the importance of addressing local issues through research, with tailored approaches to meet regional needs.

Stakeholders identified collaborative funding models and accessible resources as critical to sustaining DOA systems. They called for greater investment in community-owned infrastructure to ensure the longevity and inclusivity of diamond open access.

Research Assessment and Framework Development

Research assessment emerged as a pivotal theme, with sessions examining biases in traditional metrics and advocating for equitable practices. Key insights included:

• Multilingual Publishing: The multilingual nature of scholarly publishing was celebrated; speakers addressed biases that favor English-language journals and made the case for reforming research assessment to promote multilingualism.
• Fair Assessment Frameworks: Participants discussed the need for fair and transparent assessment systems that recognize diverse contributions to knowledge.
• Metadata and Identifiers and Open Research Information: Better metadata and diverse identifiers were flagged as essential for inclusive research assessment. Bianca Kramer pointed out the need for open research information and discussed how initiatives like the Barcelona Declaration enable equitable and transparent research practices and align with the values of DOA.
• Collaborative Framework Development: Group discussions advanced the development of a broad framework for inclusive research assessment that reflects the diverse needs of the global scholarly community. These discussions were held in multiple languages, so language was not a barrier to expressing thought, as often happens for non-English speakers when such discussions are held exclusively in English.

Declaration

Our discussions culminated in the Toluca–Cape Town Declaration on Diamond Open Access:

DOA is Not the End, but a Journey

Our discussions in Cape Town made clear that many supporters feel that DOA is moving too slowly and needs to transform in many ways. A strong consensus emerged around reforming how we evaluate and support scholarly publishing. Diamond open access cannot be assessed through the same lens as gold open access; its unique values and principles demand a distinct framework that reflects its commitment to equity, inclusivity, and community-driven practices. The summit made clear that achieving this vision will require collaboration across regions, sustained investment in infrastructure, and a steadfast commitment to social justice principles.

Participants stressed that success is not a one-time event but a continuous spiral movement that will build on itself. However, achieving meaningful change requires addressing deeply embedded value systems, behaviors, and practices within academia. Central to this work is the question: What do universities truly value? If institutions prioritize journal prestige, they will inevitably drive researchers toward commercial publishing models that reinforce inequities. True change calls for a rethinking of institutional priorities to align with the principles of diamond open access.

A powerful message emerged during the summit: Universities, once seen as ivory towers, must now respond to societal needs and reorient their values to serve the public good. Academic institutions can no longer focus solely on producing papers for prestigious journals but must embrace their role in advancing knowledge that is accessible and impactful for all. This powerful message came from Professor Mosa Moshabela, the vice chancellor of the University of Cape Town, whose inspiring addresses during the session “Research Assessment within a Diamond OA Framework,” on the third day of the summit, challenged institute leaders worldwide to rethink and reimagine the core values of universities in shaping our society.

The transition to a more equitable system of scholarly communication is not an endpoint but a journey, which will be shaped by innovations as we go forward. This journey will require resilience, collaboration, and a shared vision to ensure that research and knowledge dissemination truly serve as public goods.

For me, the summit was particularly meaningful, as I was unable to attend the previous summit in Mexico. The reason? Visa issues—an all-too-common access problem that, to some extent, mirrors the inequities in scholarly communication. I left Cape Town with a renewed sense of purpose. With collective effort, systemic change, and an unwavering commitment to reshaping the academic landscape to uphold the values of diamond open access, we can advance equity, diversity, and accessibility in scholarly communication.