Veiskille for åpen tilgang til forskningsresultater

The report examines Plan S, an initiative by European research funders to ensure full and immediate open access to publicly funded research. The authors argue that by primarily permitting Gold Open Access, Plan S may exclude researchers from 86% of all scientific journals and 97% of leading international journals. The document highlights risks to research quality, the potential for increased financial barriers via author payment (APCs), and negative impacts on the career trajectories of early-career researchers and marginalized groups. It concludes that the overall effect on the societal value of research is uncertain and recommends a formal impact assessment by Norwegian authorities.

• Plan S significantly restricts publishing options, as its requirements would exclude researchers from 86% of all scientific journals and 97% of internationally leading journals (Level 2).
• The plan's focus on Gold Open Access ignores other existing open access methods; approximately 70–90% of currently open articles do not meet Plan S criteria.
• There is a high probability that new, high-quality international full open access journals will not be established by the January 1, 2020 deadline.
• The shift toward 'mega-journals' may undermine specialized research environments, as these journals prioritize technical robustness over a paper's significance to the field.
• Plan S may negatively impact the careers of PhD students and postdocs, as publishing in prestigious journals is often a key requirement for academic employment.
• The removal of journal prestige as a quality signal may increase subjective bias and discrimination in hiring processes, potentially harming women and ethnic minorities.
• Research in full open access journals (Gold OA) is cited 8% less often than research behind paywalls, suggesting that the plan's specific model might actually reduce research impact.
• The plan could weaken the international networks of Norwegian researchers by making them less attractive collaborators for those at the global research front.
• The transition to author-payment models may create financial barriers for researchers in low- and middle-income countries, as well as independent or retired researchers.

APA

Carling, J., Erdal, M. B., Harstad, B., Knutsen, C. H., Lappegård, T., Skardhamar, T., & Østby, G. (2018). Veiskille for åpen tilgang til forskningsresultater. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/84886af2-e7a7-4264-8d61-846a6d3794f3/Carling%20et%20al%20-%20Veiskille%20for%20apen%20tilgang%20til%20forskningsresultater.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Carling, Jørgen, Marta Bivand Erdal, Bård Harstad, Carl Henrik Knutsen, Trude Lappegård, Torbjørn Skardhamar, and Gudrun Østby. Veiskille for åpen tilgang til forskningsresultater. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2018. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/84886af2-e7a7-4264-8d61-846a6d3794f3/Carling%20et%20al%20-%20Veiskille%20for%20apen%20tilgang%20til%20forskningsresultater.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Carling |first1=Jørgen |last2=Erdal |first2=Marta Bivand |last3=Harstad |first3=Bård |last4=Knutsen |first4=Carl Henrik |last5=Lappegård |first5=Trude |last6=Skardhamar |first6=Torbjørn |last7=Østby |first7=Gudrun |title=Veiskille for åpen tilgang til forskningsresultater |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=November 2018 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/84886af2-e7a7-4264-8d61-846a6d3794f3/Carling%20et%20al%20-%20Veiskille%20for%20apen%20tilgang%20til%20forskningsresultater.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carling2018veiskille, author = {Carling, Jørgen and Erdal, Marta Bivand and Harstad, Bård and Knutsen, Carl Henrik and Lappegård, Trude and Skardhamar, Torbjørn and Østby, Gudrun}, title = {{Veiskille for åpen tilgang til forskningsresultater}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2018}, month = nov, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/84886af2-e7a7-4264-8d61-846a6d3794f3/Carling%20et%20al%20-%20Veiskille%20for%20apen%20tilgang%20til%20forskningsresultater.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }