The Future of Open Access: Beyond the Nelson Memo

In anticipation of the discussion, the following questions have been posed to our speakers:

Policy and the Post-Nelson Memo Era

• How are your organizations adapting to the uncertainties surrounding the implementation of the Nelson Memo, and what guidance do you wish existed for institutions trying to stay compliant yet flexible?
• What potential risks do you see if future policy shifts roll back open access mandates, and how can communities safeguard progress made thus far?

Sustaining Community-Driven Initiatives

• Community-led efforts are often under-resourced—how do we ensure the sustainability of these initiatives without relying solely on traditional funding models?
• What successful models of cross-institutional collaboration or grassroots innovation have you seen that could be scaled or adapted elsewhere?

Equity, Inclusion, and Global Perspectives

• How can we ensure that open access and data sharing efforts remain equitable, particularly for researchers in the Global South or at underfunded institutions?
• How do we move beyond compliance to foster a culture of openness that includes diverse voices, including non-Western epistemologies and local knowledge systems?

Infrastructure and Innovation

• What role do you see for open infrastructure in securing the future of open access, and how do we align infrastructure development with community needs?
• How can publishers, libraries, and researchers co-design tools that make data sharing and open publishing easier and more intuitive?

Scholarly Communication Futures

• What does an ideal scholarly communication ecosystem look like to you in 10 years—and what do we need to do now to get there?
• How can we better engage faculty and early career researchers in the cultural shift toward open science and transparent publishing?

Shared Resource:

Journal of the Academy of Public Health: The Rise and Fall of Scientific Journals and a Way Forward, by Martin Kulldorff - Scientific journals have had enormous positive impact on the development of science, but in some ways, they are now hampering rather than enhancing open scientific discourse. After reviewing the history and current problems with journals, a new academic publishing model is proposed. It embraces open access and open rigorous peer review, it rewards reviewers for their important work with honoraria and public acknowledgement and it allows scientists to publish their research in a timely and efficient manner without wasting valuable scientist time and resources.