As part of the DFG program „Open Access Publication Funding“, participating institutions provide publication cost data to the Central Library of Forschungszentrum Jülich, which is responsible for monitoring. The data-providing institutions can also agree to the data being passed on to OpenAPC. After this dataset was successfully transferred to OpenAPC in openCost format last August, all Gold OA data has now been integrated in OpenAPC.

Also Hybrid DEAL data has already been successfully transmitted in openCost format based on the openCost contract schema. Hitherto, this data has been reported to OpenAPC based on the PABA invoices sent by MPDLS. However, when OpenAPC checked the data transmitted by FZ Jülich, deviations from the PABA invoices were found for some institutions. The reason for this is the early reporting date to FZ Jülich.

To further improve workflows and processes, the DFG and FZ Jülich have therefore decided to also use the PABA invoices as the basis for DFG monitoring from 2024. For this reason, the deadline for data delivery for 2023 has been moved back to August 15, 2024.

Evaluation of the hybrid deal data

Therefore, the article data reported for 2023 will only be transmitted fully automatically from Jülich to OpenAPC this year. For the reported publication data in the hybrid DEAL journals from 2022, an adapted workflow was developed, about which all affected institutions were informed by OpenAPC. The evaluation of the hybrid DEAL data from 2022 will therefore continue until the updated data has been transmitted to OpenAPC by the institutions.

A thematic workshop is to be held this year, organized by OpenAPC, openCost and FZ Jülich, on the presentation and reporting of the hybrid DEAL data and on how to deal with the topic of “back payments and repayments”. Further information will follow shortly.