International Medical Association Joins Global Push for Equitable Publishing with Diamond Open Access Action Plan Endorsemen
https://www.scienceeurope.org/our-resources/action-plan-for-diamond-open-access/
International Medical Association (IMA) today announced its formal endorsement of the Action Plan for Diamond Open Access, a landmark initiative led by Science Europe, cOAlition S, OPERAS, and the French National Research Agency (ANR). The move signals a major commitment by the IMA to support a more equitable and community-driven scholarly communication system in the health and medical fields.
The Action Plan for Diamond Open Access aims to strengthen the publishing model where journals and platforms charge no fees to either authors (no Article Processing Charges/APCs) or readers, making knowledge openly accessible globally without financial barriers. This model is seen as crucial for promoting bibliodiversity and supporting scholarly communities, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries.
Commitment to Open and Equitable Science
IMA’s endorsement places it alongside a growing list of influential organizations committed to reforming the research publishing landscape. Other key endorsing organizations include:
European University Association (EUA)
Association of European Research Libraries (LIBER)
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Creative Commons
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
ALLEA (European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities)
An IMA spokesperson stated, “Our decision to endorse the Diamond Open Access Action Plan reflects our deep-seated belief that medical research—which impacts public health globally—must be accessible to all. The Diamond model removes the financial barriers that often prevent researchers in resource-limited settings from publishing their work or accessing life-saving information.”
A Four-Pillar Strategy
The Action Plan, which was launched in March 2022 following the comprehensive Open Access Diamond Journals Study, focuses on four strategic priority areas designed to enhance the Diamond OA ecosystem:
Efficiency: Developing shared standards and interoperable technical services.
Quality Standards: Flexibly aligning best practices for quality assurance, ethics, and transparency.
Capacity Building: Providing training, resources, and shared expertise for editors and publishers.
Sustainability: Securing stable and long-term financial support for Diamond OA journals and platforms.
By joining the initiative, the IMA commits to exploring and implementing these actions within the medical sector, working to build an infrastructure that ensures the long-term viability of high-quality, author-fee-free medical journals worldwide.
The collective efforts of the IMA and its partner endorsers are expected to significantly accelerate the transition toward a scholarly publishing system that is truly open, diverse, and primarily steered by academic communities rather than commercial interests.