In 2015 16 organisations representing a variety of players in the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) open access publishing ecosystem from six European countries decided to combine their efforts to develop a European e-infrastructure which they named OPERAS (Open access Publications in European Research Areas for SSH). It focuses on the different publication and dissemination practices of research results in SSH disciplines and the lag in the adoption of the open access model.
OPERAS-D (Design for Open Access Publications in European Research Areas for Social Sciences and Humanities) is a Horizon 2020 funded project that will in turn support the five main partners (core group) of the OPERAS network in the development of a European e-infrastructure for open access publications in the SSH. OPERAS-D will address the long-term requirements for the development of the e-infrastructure, strengthen community building and develop the network of partners participating in OPERAS across Europe.
To achieve this goal OPERAS-D will:
- Prepare a study that defines the governance models and the structures and services provided by the platform and establish a roadmap for achieving these goals
- Engage the current and future partners of OPERAS network to strengthen the community and develop the network
The OPERAS-D partners comprise the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) as project coordinator, the National Documentation Centre (EKT), Open Access Publishing in European Networks (OAPEN), Deutsche Geisteswissenschaftliche Institute im Ausland (DGIA) and Knowledge Unlatched (KU).
EKT will prepare a desk review that will identify and examine existing and emerging practices in open access SSH publishing both in Europe and beyond, highlight key stakeholders and core challenges.