In order to improve access to published information, the scientific publication system is undergoing a transformation process from subscription models to publication fees or institution-financed models with the goal of Open Access for everyone.

In order to identify current and future extreme price increases and to enable countermeasures at an early stage, it is necessary that there is a cost transparency between scientific institutions.

The expert group “Total Cost of Publishing” was formed from various initiatives to achieve this transparency. We want to discuss the recording of all cost data and of various categories of costs, the automatic and standardized exchange as well as conceivable statistical evaluations. The aim is to propose a standardized procedure for the exchange of all publication fees as well as for payments by means of publishing agreements throughout Germany. In addition, we want to invite international partners to future meetings to establish a standard across borders.

Currently, the following institutions are represented due to individual services:

  • FZ Jülich: Monitoring of the DFG program “Open-Access-Publikationskosten”, Open Access Monitor
  • UB Bielefeld: openAPC, openCost
  • Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY: openCost
  • UB Regensburg: openCost, Elektronic Journals Library

Other institutions can be invited to join the expert group upon request.

The non-public expert meeting aims to network the individual initiatives. The meeting will take place after the workshop “Strategy for collecting the ‘Total Cost of Publishing'”, the results of the workshop will be included in the meeting.

Click here for to view the program.