Discovering the Diamond Discovery Hub: structuring and promoting Diamond open access
30The Diamond route publishing route involves open-access journals that do not charge authors publication fees. These costs are covered in advance by public funding or other mechanisms like ‘subscribe to open’ or freemium[1]https://www.ouvrirlascience.fr/category/science-ouverte/glossaire/#grp-M).
Although the Diamond ecosystem is increasingly recognised, it remains a kind of ‘scattered archipelago’ that can be difficult to get to grasps with. Diamond journals are often local, lack visibility and are poorly recognised by traditional dissemination and indexing systems. This form of fragmentation makes it difficult to identify reliable publication outlets and also limits recognition of this essential model for open science.
The Diamond Discovery Hub (DDH) was developed by the CRAFT-OA (Creating a Robust Accessible Federated Technology for Open Access) project in this context to create a centralised directory to discover, promote and support Diamond journals, while helping to construct a genuine community around this model.
The Diamond Discovery Hub: a reference point for Diamond journals
The DDH is the reference directory for Diamond open-access journals and offers authors, librarians, funders and publishers a clear and reliable entry point to explore and support Diamond journals.
Each registered journal has fulfilled six operational criteria designed to ensure transparency and reliability. Such journals need to:
- have a permanent identifier (ISSN);
- be a scientific journal with a rigorous peer-review process;
- be open access with a royalty-free licence;
- charge no fees;
- accept all contributors without restrictions linked to their affiliations;
- belong to public or non-profit organisations that are wholly or partly dedicated to research.
These criteria are not intended to set a definition of the Diamond model in stone. Instead they help identify journals that embody the fundamental principles of the Diamond route in their daily editorial practices.
A showcase for visibility and cooperation
The DDH is more than just a directory as it also serves as a showcase for Diamond journals. It provides practical support for publishers in promoting their journals and acts as a reliable guide for choosing where to publish for authors and research institutions.
The indexing of the DDH’s metadata by search engines and its inclusion in other services like Mir@bel, Isidore or EZB mean it can offer recognition, broader dissemination and enhanced integration into the European and global Diamond Open Access network.
This interoperability is already ongoing as certain journals from OpenEdition, the INRAE or the Mersenne Centre have already been integrated into the DDH. This demonstrates the strong cooperation between open services and infrastructures.
A strong partnership with the DOAJ
In this way, the DDH complements existing registries, notably the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) which is a partner in the CRAFT-OA project. The DOAJ lists open access journals in all their diversity but the DDH focuses on journals that fully embody the Diamond model and applies precise criteria on governance and transparency.
This complementary relationship is intended to be long-term in nature. At the end of the CRAFT-OA project in December 2025, the DOAJ will become the owner of the DDH to ensure the directory’s sustainability and reliability.
How can people join the Diamond Discovery Hub?
There are a few simple stages for registering a journal with the DDH:
- The publisher or hosting platform first registers with the European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH) and can express interest in becoming a ‘trusted source’ for the DDH;
- The organisation is then contacted by the DDH team;
- The team can then verify a journal’s compliance with Diamond criteria and move on to share the metadata required to index the journal.
The DDH team supports organisations throughout the process to ensure quality, reliability and visibility for every journal that is included.
The DDH at the heart of the European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH)
The DDH does not operate in isolation and is instead part of a broader initiative – the European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH) programme led by OPERAS. This initiative stems from the recommendations of the Action Plan for Diamond Open Access and emerged from the merger of the European DIAMAS and CRAFT-OA projects to support and structure diamond open access at the European level.
Its aim is to provide Diamond Open Access stakeholders like publishers, service providers, platforms or institutions with the right resources to professionalise, cooperate and bolster the sustainability of their activities.
In practical terms, the EDCH offers six interconnected services:
- a common Diamond Open Access Standard (DOAS) to harmonise quality and best practices, along with its self-assessment tool;
- a set of Resources and Guidelines to support the transition to the Diamond model;
- a Registry and a Forum to facilitate collaboration and knowledge-sharing among all Diamond Open Access stakeholders;
- a training platform to support stakeholders wishing to adopt Diamond Open Access standards and practices;
- the Diamond Discovery Hub – a reference registry of Diamond journals.
Coming soon! Publishing tools to enhance the technical efficiency of publishing platforms and ensure their interoperability.
Towards a strong and sustainable Diamond ecosystem
By structuring tools, standards and support, the EDCH offers the Diamond model a shared framework that is in line with its ambitions. The DDH is seen as a key hub within this framework that will give giving the Diamond model the means to exist fully in the future rather than being on the margins. In this way it will be a core element of a coordinated, valued and sustainable publishing ecosystem.
Find out more:
- European Diamond Capacity Hub: https://edch.eu/
- Diamond Discovery Hub: https://ddh.edch.eu/en
- CRAFT-OA: https://www.craft-oa.eu/
Credits
This post was written by Marion Paulhac, a community manager at the European Diamond Capacity Hub.
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