Measuring Progress

Metrics shape how research is discovered, valued and built upon across the research lifecycle. An equitable approach to open research metrics prioritises transparency – making data sources, methodologies,and limitations clear –  so that metrics can be understood, interpreted responsibly and used to support openness.​

Responsible use requires recognising different research contexts, disciplines, career stages and geographic realities and avoiding one-size-fits-all indicators. Metrics should support multiple pathways for contribution and discovery, valuing a broad range of outputs and practices rather than privileging a narrow metric set.

Global Open Access

Over the last 10 years gold OA has become the dominant type of open access increasing the volume of research available globally.

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The opportunity to publish gold OA

In 2024, 80% of global articles, reviews and conference papers either were or could have been published as gold OA articles.  

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Scholarly discipline by access type

STM and SSH disciplines track closely in access to publishing OA 

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Available books via Research4Life

Record access to just under 239,000 books supports all disciplines across low- and middle-income countries.  

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Available journals via Research4Life

Critical research access to more than 56,000 journals increases participation for low- and middle-income country researchers 

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Access for low & middle income institutions

Almost 12,000 institutions have access to Research4Life with, on average, another 518 institutions added each year.

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OA growth in Research4Life eligible countries

Research output in Research4Life countries is growing with greater opportunity to publish open access actively supported by waivers and discounts 

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Data availability statements

Encouraged or mandated by 81% of surveyed journals, data availability statements help ensure research data can be discovered, assessed, and reused more equitably. 

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Guiding Principles

Go back to where it all connects — the Equity in Open Research homepage.

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The Latest from STM

New report: Phase II of China’s Excellence Action Plan for STM Journals

STM consultants Shuai Yan, Mark Robertson, and Eric Na have published a detailed report on Phase II of China’s Excellence Action Plan — the largest national initiative in Chinese scholarly publishing, now supporting 13 journal cluster pilot projects with 45 million RMB in annual funding. Phase II has a clear ambition: a publishing ecosystem built…

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EU Parliament event on research integrity highlights collective responsibility

On 10 June, the European Parliament’s STOA panel (on the future of science and technology) held a session highlighting AI, system-level misaligned incentives, and research culture as key factors behind the rise in research integrity issues. Several speakers encouraged a focus on the reasons motivating misconduct rather than on post-fact enforcement, although the importance of…

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New report on China’s STM Journal Excellence Action Plan

This week, STM is in Beijing for the PubTech Conference and STM APAC Conference, convening publishers, technologists, librarians, and researchers from across the Asia-Pacific region around openness, integrity, and inclusion. Alongside the event, STM consultants Shuai Yan and Mark Robertson, together with STM China Chapter chair Eric Na, have published a detailed report on Phase II…

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EU Commission’s consultation on TDM rights reservation protocols

The European Commission is exploring methods for reserving TDM/AI rights, with a view to making the most mature ones mandatory for AI companies to read and respect under the AI Act’s Code of Practice. A first workshop took place on 2 June, with TDMRep emerging as the protocol with the most support among rightsholders. STM…

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