"Unravelling Open-Access Accountability: Switzerland's Structural Responsibility"

This paper examines the structural accountability of Switzerland in the global open-access publishing ecosystem. Using MDPI, a Swiss-based publishing giant, as a case study, it analyzes the ethical lapses, lack of proper peer-review transparency, and the Swiss government’s failure to regulate the rapidly expanding OA sector. The document explores how Switzerland, as a “neutral” state, may be complicit in undermining global scientific trust by silently benefiting from questionable publishing practices. It further calls for policy reforms including federal oversight, transparent APC disclosures, and public peer-review registries to restore ethical standards in scientific communication.