Agreement PIDs: Small Schema, Big Story

Have you ever wondered why an article is open access, even when you already know it is? Current metadata usually won’t tell you whether it’s covered by a transformative agreement, a consortium deal, or another funding model. Finding this information takes time, and even when it appears somewhere in the text, it’s rarely in a reusable format. To change this, a persistent identifier (PID) for open access agreements is being introduced, supported by a central registry. With it, you can immediately see why an article is open access and explore the context behind different agreements. The registry is integrated into the Electronic Journals Library (EZB), ensuring long‑term stability and easy reuse. And with the openCost schema, you can even add these PIDs to your repository to improve transparency. Curious to learn more? Dive into the EZB’s new tools and explore how they work. You often know that an article has been published open access in a journal, but not necessarily why. Is something missing? The present metadata schemata do not provide any information on this. Perhaps the article you are interested in is part of a transformative agreement, membership or consortia model. Have you ever tried to look for this information? It can be time-consuming or even impossible. Even if the information is mentioned in the full text, it is neither easy to find nor efficient to reuse, as it is not machine-readable. Examples include SCOAP³ and the German DEAL project, which are mentioned in the licence information and acknowledgements, respectively. Wouldn't it be great to have a unique, permanent identifier for open access agreements, similar to the models mentioned above? Combined with a central registry, this PID enables you to receive detailed information about why an article is open access, thus providing deeper insight into academic publishing. You can already find out about contracts with publishers, including OA models, at the electronic journal library (EZB) at Regensburg University Library. Integrating the registry with dedicated PIDs in the EZB's existing infrastructure guarantees its long-term sustainability. Combining this information with existing PIDs, such as ROR for organisations, will provide you with detailed information at article level by enriching it with metadata using the PID. Furthermore, the registry's standardised interfaces make it easily reusable! Would you like to gain a deeper insight into the EZB and the new registry? You can find it here. You will learn about all the ideas behind the stored information and how it makes necessary information transparent for keeping track of Open Access publishing. You will immediately see how the registry is embedded within the existing infrastructure. Using the openCost metadata schema, you can add PIDs to your institutional repositories and contribute to cost transparency at an institutional level. You can reuse the data with statistical tools because it is machine readable, or simply take a look at the graphical user interfaces, which are user-friendly and clearly arranged.