European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH): Supporting Integrity and Equity in Diamond Open Access Publishing

<p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" class="first" dir="auto" id="d7284389e118">Editorial management has become increasingly complex in today's rapidly evolving scholarly publishing landscape. Editors of institutional, non-profit journals that do not charge authors or readers - referred to as Diamond Open Access (OA) journals - often find themselves navigating a multitude of challenges, from maintaining high editorial standards to ensuring transparency, credibility and integrity in an environment marked by budget constraints and resource limitations. As a result, many editors can feel isolated and disconnected, lacking the networking and support systems crucial for professional development and collaboration. A recent European initiative seeks to help Diamond OA journals deal with these challenges. (DIAMAS Project 2024) <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d7284389e120">The European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH) is a collective designed to strengthen the Diamond Open Access (OA) community in Europe by supporting institutional, national, and disciplinary capacity centers, as well as Diamond OA publishers, service providers and tools &amp; technology providers. Built on the results of the DIAMAS (Developing Institutional Open Access Publishing Models to Advance Scholarly Communication) and CRAFT-OA (Creating a Robust Accessible Federated Technology for Open Access) projects, the EDCH offers services, tools and best practices via an online platform (https://diamas.org/), which includes: <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d7284389e122">● Diamond Discovery Hub (DDH): An authoritative index of Diamond OA journals designed to help authors, libraries, funders, and research assessment bodies identify trustworthy journals. To be included, journals must meet clearly defined Diamond criteria. (Armengou et al. 2024) <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d7284389e124">● Diamond Open Access Standard and self-assessment tools: A quality assurance framework that enables publishers to assess compliance with best practices. (Consortium of the DIAMAS project 2024) <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d7284389e126">● Publishing tools: A collection of software solutions and add-ons aimed at enhancing the efficiency of publishing workflows and platforms, allowing publishers to manage content more effectively and maintain high editorial standards. <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d7284389e128">● Registry and Forum: A curated registry of Diamond OA publishers, service and tools and technology providers helps publishers identify reliable service and technology providers. The Forum offers a space for publishers and providers to discuss challenges and work together on solutions that enhance integrity and transparency in scholarly publishing. <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d7284389e130">● Resources &amp; Guidelines: A comprehensive set of materials supporting publishers transitioning to Diamond OA. This includes high-level introductions to Diamond OA <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d7284389e132">publishing, detailed guidelines and best practices for journal publishing and resources to support the sustainability of institutional publishing. The Toolsuite and Guidelines uphold integrity and transparency in scholarly publishing by providing Diamond OA publishers with clear standards, best practices, and practical guidance on editorial quality, research integrity and transparency in governance, funding, and editorial policies. <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d7284389e134">● Training Platform: Targeted learning modules that equip editors and publishers with the knowledge to implement best publishing practices and maintain research integrity. <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d7284389e136">EDCH is community-governed and tailored to the needs of the Diamond OA community. It empowers Diamond OA publishers to uphold the highest standards of scholarly communication and significantly contributes to greater equity in scholarly publishing by providing free, openly licensed resources that help publishers deal with challenges without the need for costly expert support. With resources available in multiple languages (English, Croatian, Spanish and Portuguese), Diamond OA publishers can access knowledge and tools to improve their practices regardless of their financial capacity. <p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" dir="auto" id="d7284389e138">Designed to address the most pressing challenges, EDCH provides tailored support, training, and networking opportunities for editors of Diamond OA journals. By fostering a collaborative community, the EDCH empowers editors to access best practices, quality assurance frameworks, and resources that enhance their editorial management capabilities. This initiative not only promotes integrity and transparency in scholarly publishing but also fosters a sense of belonging among editors, enabling them to share experiences and solutions. With a focus on equity, the EDCH aims to equip these journals with the tools they need to thrive in a competitive publishing landscape, ensuring that high-quality research remains accessible and sustainable for all.