Open access to scien­ti­fic publi­ca­tions: new assignments

As of 2018, the National Library of Sweden (NLS) has received two new assignments regarding open access to publicly funded scientific publications from the Swedish Government.

Firstly, the NLS is instructed to monitor and report the total cost of publication for scientific publications in Sweden. When doing so the NLS shall pay particular attention to costs regarding subscriptions, publication charges (APCs), and administrative expenses.

Secondly, the NLS shall develop indicators for assessing whether scientific publications meet the national objective that scientific publications which are the result of public funding, should be fully open access by 2026. Further, to propose a method that provides a comprehensive overview of the extent to which scientific publications and research data meet the FAIR principles.

Criteria development and reporting

The Swedish Research Council has received a parallel assignment from the Government, instructing the council to develop criteria assessing the extent to which research data, partly or fully resulting from public funding, complies with the so-called FAIR principles. The NLS will consult with the Swedish Research Council regarding this part of the assignment, which shall be reported to the Ministry of Education by no later than the 28th of February, 2019.