In a landmark report released by PLOS entitled “Redefining Publishing: Practical Pathways to Open Science,” the scholarly publishing landscape is poised for transformational change. This extensive 18-month research and design initiative, supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation alongside the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, brings together a diverse coalition of researchers, funders, institutional leaders, librarians, and infrastructure providers. Its mission: to map a feasible evolution away from historically entrenched article-centric and Article Processing Charge (APC)-driven publication models, toward infrastructures better aligned with the expansive demands of open science.
At the heart of this report lies a critical diagnosis of the current academic publishing paradigm. For decades, the research article has served as the primary vessel for disseminating scientific insight and securing academic credit. However, this model starkly underrepresents the multifaceted nature of contemporary research, which encompasses not only written manuscripts but also datasets, codebases, methodologies, workflows, and other ancillary materials essential for reproducibility and innovation. This narrowing of research outputs to the article format diminishes the visibility and reusability of these critical components, thus impeding scientific progress.
The report incisively critiques APC-based open access models, which, despite their role in expanding access to knowledge, inherently reinforce the primacy of the journal article as the principal recognized output. These models inadvertently erect financial and structural barriers that limit participation, particularly from less-resourced institutions and researchers in underfunded regions. The sustainability and scalability of APCs are increasingly questioned within the broader context of global efforts to democratize science, prompting stakeholders to seek alternative frameworks more conducive to inclusive and comprehensive recognition of diverse research contributions.
One of the report’s most pivotal insights, grounded in an independent economic analysis, evidences that the economic and societal dividends of open science are maximized only when research outputs are designed with reuse at scale in mind. Data and code, when made interoperable and accessible through robust infrastructure, metadata standards, and incentive structures, hold tremendous potential to reduce redundant experimentation, accelerate discovery, and catalyze innovative applications. Absent such systemic support, these outputs risk languishing as isolated artifacts with limited impact.
Addressing these entrenched challenges, the report introduces the innovative concept of a “knowledge stack.” This model envisages a vector of interconnected research elements—including preprints, articles, data, code, and materials—coalescing into a structured, machine-readable, and interoperable record of the entire research lifecycle. This approach deliberately eschews centralized, proprietary platforms in favor of federated architectures grounded in open protocols, persistent identifiers, and universally adopted metadata standards. By doing so, it preserves openness and enhances the ability to trace and credit contributions across the diverse fabric of scholarly work.
The report further stresses that mere enhancement of the visibility of non-article research outputs is insufficient. Substantial advances require reinforcing trust, accessibility, and recognition mechanisms. Clearer attributions to all contributors, sophisticated metadata schemas, and layered contextual frameworks are essential to ensure that diverse outputs can be reliably interpreted, evaluated for quality, and strategically reused. Such refinement empowers not only human users but also increasingly sophisticated AI systems that depend on structured, transparent, and verifiable scientific data to underpin responsible information retrieval and decision-making.
Central to the vision described is a recognition that publishers wield considerable influence over research incentives by arbitrating what information rises to prominence, is credited, and consequently rewards scholarly endeavor. Yet, the current incentive landscape remains heavily weighted toward traditional outputs and publication venues, thereby creating systemic inertia resistant to the incorporation of broader outputs and practices aligned with open science ideals. Hence, the report underscores the necessity of cross-sector coordination involving funders, institutions, infrastructure providers, and researchers themselves to recalibrate assessment, funding, and reward mechanisms.
Moreover, the report candidly acknowledges the heterogeneity of global research ecosystems, emphasizing that universal, one-size-fits-all solutions risk perpetuating existing inequalities. Variations in funding streams, technological infrastructure maturity, and policy contexts necessitate regionally tailored collaborations that respect and address local needs, capacities, and priorities. This perspective is crucial to ensuring that open science reforms do not inadvertently entrench peripheral exclusion or intellectual colonization but instead foster equitable participation and capacity-building.
Looking forward, PLOS outlines a pragmatic roadmap featuring targeted pilots and iterative experimentation to actualize these visionary pathways. Initial efforts will concentrate on data and code, which represent the most policy-relevant and technically feasible frontiers for innovation. This involves developing novel attribution models, establishing more dynamic linking of contexts, and enhancing mechanisms for verifying and checking reproducibility. Such hands-on experimentation will be pivotal in refining business models, technical standards, and user workflows essential for scalable transformation.
Throughout the report, the interconnectedness of infrastructure, incentives, funding, and assessment emerges as a central theme. Sustainable progress toward an open science ecosystem depends on the realignment of these components to mutually reinforce openness and inclusivity. The work calls for a sustained and collaborative approach, leveraging shared infrastructure and harmonizing strategic reforms across stakeholder boundaries. This comprehensive alignment is portrayed not merely as an aspirational goal but as an essential condition for science capable of meeting contemporary societal challenges.
As Alison Muddit, CEO of PLOS, reflects, the imperative for change transcends individual actors. No single organization holds the key to reconstructing the complex architecture of research dissemination and recognition. Yet, each participant bears responsibility to advance the communal enterprise of reform, contributing to the collective momentum necessary for systemic transformation. This ethos of shared stewardship and responsibility pervades the report’s concluding recommendations.
Crucially, the report positions this juncture in scholarly publishing as a critical inflection point. The entrenched, article-centric publishing paradigm juxtaposed against burgeoning open science aspirations generates both tension and opportunity. The choices made in the near term—whether toward isolated incremental changes or toward integrated, experimental, and open infrastructure—will shape the trajectory of research accessibility, reuse, and impact for decades to come.
In summary, the PLOS report “Redefining Publishing: Practical Pathways to Open Science” articulates a compelling, technically informed, and socially conscious blueprint for transitioning the research communication ecosystem. Through actionable frameworks like the knowledge stack, a reexamination of economic models, and an emphasis on coordination and equity, the report charts a path toward a more open, inclusive, and effective system of scholarly publishing. Its call to action resonates with urgency and aspirations to harness the full potential of research outputs for global societal advancement.
Subject of Research: Scholarly Publishing, Open Science, Research Infrastructure, Academic Incentives
Article Title: Redefining Publishing: Practical Pathways to Open Science
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Keywords: Scholarly publishing, open science, academic publishing, article processing charges, research data reuse, research infrastructure, research assessment, knowledge stack, interoperability, open access, scientific communication, research incentives
