Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Methods Inf Med 2023; 62(03/04): 140-150
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1761499
Other Type of Manuscript

Trans-O-MIM—An International Research Project on Open Access Transformation: Outcomes and Lessons Learned

Reinhold Haux
1   Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of TU Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Braunschweig, Germany
,
Esther Greussing
1   Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of TU Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Braunschweig, Germany
2   Institute for Communication Science of TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
,
Stefanie Kuballa
1   Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of TU Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Braunschweig, Germany
,
Corinna Mielke
1   Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of TU Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Braunschweig, Germany
,
Mareike Schulze
1   Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics of TU Braunschweig and Hannover Medical School, Braunschweig, Germany
,
Monika Taddicken
2   Institute for Communication Science of TU Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
› Author Affiliations Funding This research has been funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) under grant number HA 1438/17-1. TU Bruanschweig's Publication Fund made it possible that also this final Trans-O-MIM article could be published in Open Access.
› Further Information
   Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Background During the last decades, the Open Access paradigm has become an important approach for publishing new scientific knowledge. From 2015 to 2020, the Trans-O-MIM research project was undertaken with the intention to identify and to explore solutions in transforming subscription-based journals into Open Access journals. Trans-O-MIM stands for strategies, models, and evaluation metrics for the goal-oriented, stepwise, sustainable, and fair transformation of established subscription-based scientific journals into Open-Access-based journals with Methods of Information in Medicine as an example.

Objectives To present an overview of the outcomes of the Trans-O-MIM research project as a whole and to share our major lessons learned.

Methods As an approach for transforming journals, a Tandem Model has been proposed and implemented for Methods of Information in Medicine. For developing a metric to observe and assess journal transformations, scenario analysis has been used. A qualitative and a two-tier quantitative study on drivers and obstacles of Open Access publishing for medical informatics researchers was designed and conducted. A project setup with a research team, a steering committee, and an international advisory board was established. Major international medical informatics events have been used for reporting and for receiving feedback.

Results Based on the Tandem Model, the journal Methods of Information in Medicine has been transformed into a journal where, in addition to its subscription-based track, from 2017 onwards a Gold Open Access track has been successfully added. An evaluation metric, composed of 5 scenarios and 65 parameters, has been developed, which can assist respective decision makers in assessing such transformations. The studies on drivers and obstacles of Open Access publishing showed that, while most researchers support the idea of making scientific knowledge freely accessible to everyone, they are hesitant about actually living this practice by choosing Open Access journals to publish their own work. Article-processing charges and quality issues are perceived as the main obstacles in this respect, revealing a two-sided evaluation of Open Access models, reflecting the different viewpoints of researchers as authors or readers. Especially researchers from low-income countries benefit from a barrier-free communication mainly in their role as readers and much less in their role as authors of scientific information. This became also evident at the institutional level, as Open Access policies or financial support through funding bodies are most prevalent in Europe and North America.

Conclusion With Trans-O-MIM, an international research project was performed. An existing journal has been transformed. In addition, with the support of the International Medical Informatics Association, as well as of the European Federation for Medical Informatics and of the German Association for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology as European and German medical informatics organizations, we did run an international experiment on Open Access incentives. Both together are, as far as the authors know, unique. We therefore expect that this research could add new knowledge on Open Access transformation.

Keywords

open access - journal transformation - medical informatics


Publication History

Received: 17 December 2021

Accepted: 06 November 2022

Article published online:
07 February 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Georg Thieme Verlag KG
Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany

 

  • References

  • 1 Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. 2003 Accessed January 21, 2023 at: https://openaccess.mpg.de/67605/berlin_declaration_engl.pdf
    PubMed
  • 2 Björk BC, Solomon D. Open access versus subscription journals: a comparison of scientific impact. BMC Med 2012; 10: 73
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 European Commission. Towards better access to scientific information: boosting the benefits of public investments in research. Accessed January 21, 2023 at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52012DC0401&from=EN
    PubMed
  • 4 Gasparyan AY, Yessirkepov M, Voronov AA, Koroleva AM, Kitas GD. Comprehensive approach to open access publishing: platforms and tools. J Korean Med Sci 2019; 34 (27) e184
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Rowley J, Johnson F, Sbaffi L, Frass W, Devine E. Academics' behaviors and attitudes towards open access publishing in scholarly journals. J Assoc Inf Sci Technol 2017; 68: 1201-1211
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Suber P. Open Access. Boston, MA: MIT Press; 2012
    CrossrefGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Tennant JP, Waldner F, Jacques DC, Masuzzo P, Collister LB, Hartgerink CH. The academic, economic and societal impacts of Open Access: an evidence-based review. F1000 Res 2016; 5: 632
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Wolpert AJ. For the sake of inquiry and knowledge–the inevitability of open access. N Engl J Med 2013; 368 (09) 785-787
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Kuballa S. Open access publishing in the field of medical informatics. J Med Syst 2017; 41 (05) 82
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Web page of the Trans-O-MIM research project. Accessed January 21, 2023 at: https://plri.de/forschung/projekte/trans-o-mim-tom
    PubMed
  • 11 German Research Foundation. (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). Accessed January 21, 2023 at: https://www.dfg.de
    PubMed
  • 12 International Medical Informatics Association. Accessed January 21, 2023 at: https://imia-medinfo.org/wp/
    PubMed
  • 13 European Federation for Medical Informatics Association. Accessed January 21, 2023 at: https://efmi.org
    PubMed
  • 14 German Association for Medical Informatics. Biometry and Epidemiology. Accessed January 21, 2023 at: https://www.gmds.de
    PubMed
  • 15 Haux R, Kuballa S, Schulze M. et al. Exploring possibilities for transforming established subscription-based scientific journals into open access journals. Present situation, transformation criteria, and exemplary implementation within Trans-O-MIM. Methods Inf Med 2016; 55 (06) 481-487
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 16 McCray AT, Gefeller O, Aronsky D. et al. The birth and evolution of a discipline devoted to information in biomedicine and health care. As reflected in its longest running journal. Methods Inf Med 2011; 50 (06) 491-507
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Official Journals of IMIA. Accessed January 21, 2023 at: https://imia-medinfo.org/wp/publications/
    PubMed
  • 18 Haux R, Greussing E, Kuballa S, Mielke C, Schulze M, Taddicken M. Trans-O-MIM Research Team. On open access publishing in medical informatics: results of the International Trans-O-MIM Research Project. In: 19, 36–37.
    Google Scholar
  • 19 Conference Proceedings of the 11th Biennial Conference of the Asia-Pacific Association for Medical Informatics, November 21–23, 2020. Tokyo: Japan Association for Medical Informatics; 2020.
    PubMed
  • 20 Mielke C, Kuballa S, Schulze M, Haux R. A metric for evaluating a transformation of subscription-based journals into open-access journals. J Med Syst 2020; 44 (11) 196
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Kuballa S, Schulze M, Mielke C, Gefeller O, Haux R. On incentives for open access publishing: a survey at IMIA's Annual General Assembly During HEC2016. Stud Health Technol Inform 2017; 245: 901-904
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Kuballa S, Schulze M, Mielke C, Taddicken M, Haux R. Identification of influencing factors regarding the decision for or against an open access publication of scientists of medical informatics: description and first results of group discussions and interviews. Stud Health Technol Inform 2019; 264: 1248-1252
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Greussing E, Kuballa S, Taddicken M, Schulze M, Mielke C, Haux R. Drivers and obstacles of open access publishing. a qualitative investigation of individual and institutional factors. Front Commun (Lausanne) 2020; 5: 587465
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Greussing E, Kuballa S, Taddicken M, Schulze M, Mielke C, Haux R. Individual and institutional influences on open access publishing around the globe. A two-tier study on the perspectives of medical informatics researchers on a barrier-free communication of science.. Observatio (OBS*) J. 2022; 16 (01) 60-89
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Koch S, Haux R, Gefeller O, Sarkar IN, Bergemann D. Methods Open - a new journal track starting in 2017. Methods Inf Med 2016; 55 (06) 478-480
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 26 Koch S, Gefeller O, Haux R. One year with Methods Open. Methods Inf Med 2017; 56 (06) 414-415
    Article in Thieme ConnectPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 27 DEAL Project. Accessed January 21, 2023 at: https://www.projekt-deal.de/about-deal/
    PubMed