Hi all –
The MIT Press is proud to announce that shift+OPEN is now accepting applications from journals who want to flip from traditional publishing to diamond open access. Details in the press release below or on our news page. Please consider sharing with faculty or editors who may be considering open access for their journal and could use support in the process.
We are also delighted that this initiative was just highlighted in Time Magazine's article "13 Ways the World Got Better in 2023". Under the heading "More scientific studies were free for anyone to access," Haley Weiss writes, "The movement to increase public access to scientific research and data made huge strides in 2023. Major publishers and institutions including Springer Nature and MIT continued to operate fledgling programs dedicated to open access, including providing funding to researchers and supporting journals committed to sharing their data." (emphasis added)
Jess
The MIT Press proudly announces that applications are now open for shift+OPEN, an initiative designed to flip existing subscription-based journals to a diamond open access publishing model.
Launched with generous funding from Arcadia and expanded with funding from the National Science Foundation, shift+OPEN seeks to catalyze needed change in journals publishing, introduce authors to new readerships, and increase the reach of vital scholarship that has previously been locked behind paywalls.
“Access to quality research and information is a means to solving some of humanity’s greatest challenges,” says Nick Lindsay, director of journals and open access at the MIT Press. “We are absolutely delighted with the outcomes of shift+OPEN so far and grateful to the National Science Foundation and Arcadia for making it possible to offer this opportunity to journals world-wide.”
For the second round of shift+OPEN, the MIT Press welcomes submissions for English-language journals in any field and from any part of the world. Selected journals will receive funding to cover the expenses of transitioning a journal to open access model for a three-year term, access to the Press’s full suite of professional publishing services, and support to develop a sustainable funding model for the future. The deadline for applications is April 30, 2024.
In 2023, shift+OPEN embarked on a groundbreaking partnership with the European Sociological Association (ESA), to transition two journals, European Societies and European Journal of Cultural and Political Sociology, to MIT Press as premier diamond open access publications.
Lígia Ferro, President of the European Sociological Association, underscored the Press’s professionalism and reputation as a trailblazer in open access publishing as a pivotal factor in their decision to apply: “Our confidence in making the open access transition was bolstered by the MIT Press’s recent successful journal conversions like Imaging Neuroscience or Quantitative Science Studies. Our firsthand experience with the Press’s unwavering professionalism and high standards during the process cemented our decision.”
The MIT Press has a long history of being at the leading edge of open access journal publishing and the last year has been no exception. From expanding the peer overlay journal Rapid Reviews: Infectious Diseases to launching diamond open access journal Imaging Neuroscience with former editorial teams of Neuroimage and Neuroimage: Reports, the Press has embraced the need to broaden the dissemination of its journals while developing new models that work for everyone, including authors, editors, societies, and universities.
For further information on shift+OPEN and to submit an application, please visit mitpress.mit.edu/shiftopen/
Jessica Pellien (she/her/hers)
Head of Communications
The MIT Press
m: 617-258-0603
X (formerly Twitter): @jessicapellien