In many respects, open access to publications is the best-known part of open and transparent research. Changes in publishing and scholarly communication require contemporary answers to how openness to research results can be ensured in the long term. One way is to promote sustainable, community-driven publishing forms and platforms that are scholarly-led and characterized by diversity, according to the Action Plan for Diamond Open Access. In this panel discussion with Dr. Christina Riesenweber (Freie Universität Berlin), Dr. Astrid Sänger (DFG), and Dr. Benedikt Fecher (HIIG), we approach the multifaceted topic of open access, focusing on four issues:

- What are differences between open access models?

- What developments are currently shaping the scientific publication market and the Open Science movement?

- How can we classify activities and initiatives in the field of Diamond Open Access?

- What can we contribute to globally equitable access to research publications and what can we learn from other countries about Open Access?

The panel discussion will be held in German.

The lecture, which is aimed equally at students and an interested professional audience, will take place as part of the lecture series "Open Science and Research Quality" in the winter semester 2022-23, which is jointly organized by the Berlin University Alliance and its focus area Advancing Research Quality and Value, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and the Robert K. Merton Center for Science Research. The lecture series began on October 17, 2022, and takes place every Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. (c.t.).

Abstract of the Lecture Series:

Not only since the pandemic has there been a consensus in science and society that research must meet the highest scientific standards. Science should produce valid research results and inform society and politics. This results in a whole range of requirements for modern "good" science. At the same time, the understanding of what constitutes good science can vary. Accessibility and transparency, traceability and verifiability, interdisciplinarity, and inclusion of non-academic actors are widely accepted as general characteristics in this context. How these criteria can be implemented in each specific field, on the other hand, is not always clear. While the question of sustainable improvement of research quality and the implementation of measures within the framework of the Open Science movement is already extensively discussed in some disciplines and good practice examples already exist in large numbers (e.g., in the life sciences), concrete recommendations for action in other disciplines can be searched for in vain (e.g., humanities). The variance of the different disciplines, the demand for more uniform standards in science and the related problems will be discussed in this event with different international speakers. The theoretical discussion will be framed by concrete "good practice" examples from different disciplines.

The lecture is aimed at students of the MA program in Science Studies at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and is open to Master's and PhD students of all disciplines and institutions of the Berlin University Alliance. The event is also open to an interested (professional) audience. Sessions of the lecture series are held in German and English.