| | | May/June 2026: What’s in this issueWhat’s new in OA & scholarly publishing in Australia & Aotearoa New ZealandWhat’s new in OA & scholarly publishing globallyRecent writing & resources on OAUpcoming events in OA & scholarly publishing
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| | | | What’s new in OA & scholarly publishing in Australia & Aotearoa New Zealand |
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| | OAA launches new pages providing community resources for rights retentionWe’re excited to share that the first phase of our Resources for Rights Retention site is now live. It currently includes FAQs, PowerPoint templates, case studies, a glossary of terms, and a directory of policies and guidelines, with more to come as we continue to build and refine the content. The site is very much a work in progress, and we strongly encourage our community to get in touch with feedback, suggestions, and additional materials we can showcase. Jane Bowland, Danny Kingsley and Janet Catterall were delighted to present the site for the first time at RSC Day, on behalf of the OAA Rights Retention Working Group. View the slides Thanks to the members of the OAA Rights Retention Working Group for putting this resource together: Monique Aviso, Jane Bowland, Janet Catterall, Katya Henry, Danny Kingsley, Elizabeth Lawrence & Cameron Rutter. |
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| | | OAA revised Principles, Priorities and Activities 2026-2028We are pleased to share that the OAA has refreshed its principles, priorities and activities, with these revisions shaped by the thoughtful input and feedback of our members. For the first time, we have also adopted an overarching mission statement to clearly articulate what we stand for and what we aim to achieve as a community. This updated framework will guide our work in the coming years and reflects the values and priorities our membership has helped us define. Read the Principles, Strategic Priorities and Activities 2026-2028 |
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| | | OAA’s advanced course in open scholarship migrating to a new platformDue to changes and service issues with the Canvas platform we previously used to host our online course OA201 following the recent security incident, we are currently unable to offer the course in its usual format. While this disruption is outside our control, we are now focused on rebuilding and migrating the course to a more reliable platform so we can offer an improved version again as soon as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience this has caused our members. Our original course OA101, Open Access, the basics, is accessible for members at any time. Please contact info@oaaustralasia.org for access information. *Please note that at this time both OAA’s online courses are available to Open Access Australasia members only. Access for members is free. Not sure if your institution is a member? Check our member list on our website Interested in joining OAA? See our member benefits and infographic Our Value and get in touch contact@oaaustralasia.org. |
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| | | A sustainable future for diamond open access: The Open Journals Collective.Thank you to everyone who joined our recent webinar with Tom Shaw from the Open Journals Collective (OJC). Tom introduced OJC’s vision for building a sustainable future for diamond open access journals, highlighting how its library membership programme enables libraries to invest in diamond OA at scale and provides an exit ramp from transformative agreements, an alternative “big deal”. Tom explored the value of OJC’s model for libraries and how it supports and complements existing diamond publishers and initiatives. If you missed the session or would like to revisit it, the recording and Tom’s slides are now available |
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| | | | Open Access Australasia at FORCE 2026Open Access Australasia joined colleagues from across the globe at FORCE2026 in Singapore, a conference focused on “going far together” to reshape scholarly communication. Our new blog post shares highlights from the event, including conversations on responsible research assessment, bibliodiversity and equity, diamond open access in practice, and the fast‑evolving role of AI in research and publishing, along with reflections on what we’re bringing back to our work in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. |
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| | | | Aotearoa New Zealand Government announces final design for Tertiary Research Excellence FundThe New Zealand Government has confirmed the final design of the new Tertiary Research Excellence Fund (TREF), which will replace the Performance‑Based Research Fund from 2029 and allocate around $315 million per year. TREF aims to reduce compliance costs and place greater emphasis on the real‑world impact of research, but the exact metrics and data sources that will be used are not yet clear, and at this stage appear likely to draw on proprietary indicators rather than fully open, transparent measures. PBRF will continue until the end of 2028 while operational details for TREF are worked through with providers. |
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| | | | Relational Infrastructures for Sovereign Data Storage: Te Pa Tuwatawata ZineThis zine explores how Indigenous communities are carrying data sovereignty forward through the design of data storage technologies grounded in their own governance systems, relationships, and ways of knowing. Through a Māori-led case study, it offers an example of how infrastructure can be shaped by Indigenous processes and values rather than settler colonial frameworks. |
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| | AuSCCoP After taking a break in June to allow everyone to attend RSC Days, we’re excited to reconvene in July for our regular AusSCCoP meeting. We’ll spend some time discussing our priorities for the months ahead. We’re especially looking forward to exploring plans with everyone for Open Access Week, so please come along ready to share what you’re working on, ask questions, or troubleshoot ideas with the group. No idea is too big or too small, and we’re looking forward to finishing the year strong together. Members continue to contribute to the shared Glossary of scholarly communications terminology and are also invited to add their ideas for the group to the feedback form. The group next meets on July 21 at 1pm AEST. If you’re interested in knowledge sharing, exchanging ideas, and connecting with colleagues in a friendly and supportive space, you’re very welcome to join the CoP. Meeting times for 2026 are listed here. AuSCCoP Diamond Open Access Publishing group. The Diamond CoP and OAA co-hosted a webinar with Tom Shaw from the Open Journals Collective (OJC) on June 10. The OJC is a new community-led initiative that brings together libraries, nonprofit publishers and academics to build a sustainable future for diamond open access journals. The slides and video are now available. Please add your diamond journal to our Australasian Diamond Discovery Hub and feel free to share resources, guidelines and websites for diamond here We welcome all new members. Details for joining the CoP and the meeting schedule for 2026 can be found here: how to join. The next meeting will be held on August 20 at 12pm AEST. AuSCCoP Repositories group The group is seeking feedback on your repository experience via this survey. The survey will help the group understand what repository platforms and tools are used across the community and identify what’s working well and where the challenges are. More information about the Repository group, dates for 2026 and how to join. The group next meets on July 14th at 12pm AEST. Aotearoa Scholarly Communications CoP This CoP consists of subgroups for open educational resources, open access, Open Journal Systems, research data management and research impact metrics. Information about all of the Aotearoa groups can now be found on OAA’s website find out more and sign up for meetings |
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| | What’s new in OA & scholarly publishing globally |
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| | SPARC pushes back on GAO’s assumptions about open access costsSPARC’s statement argues that the new U.S. Government Accountability Office (the congressional “watchdog” agency that audits and evaluates federal programs and spending) report on federal research publishing costs wrongly treats pay‑to‑publish as an inevitable consequence of public access, rather than as one expensive, optional business model among many. It calls on Congress and federal agencies to separate public access from APC‑based publishing, invest instead in community‑controlled infrastructure and alternative peer‑review models, and stop using public money to prop up commercial publishers whose fee‑driven incentives can undermine research integrity. |
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| | | | DOAJ Annual Highlights 2025The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) Annual Highlights 2025 provides a snapshot of how the Directory of Open Access Journals is evolving as core open infrastructure, including a year‑in‑review from Managing Director Joanna Ball, updated statistics on journal applications and indexed titles, and key developments such as the new DOAJ Fonden foundation in Denmark to strengthen long‑term sustainability. It also showcases outreach projects like the DOAJ Ambassador programme and a renewed focus on supporting diamond open access journals during 2025. |
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| | | | Reframing Repositories: New narrative series from COAR shows their vital importance.A new COAR narrative series argues that open, locally governed repositories are a powerful response to concentrated commercial infrastructure, threats to research integrity, language bias in discovery systems, and fragile public trust. It shows how repositories provide resilient, interoperable infrastructure that preserves provenance and versions, supports long‑term access in all languages, and strengthens the global knowledge commons. |
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| | | | Strengthening open infrastructure through community‑led support: 2025 SCOSS family updatesCommunity‑led SCOSS funding is helping six key open infrastructures report strong progress in 2025: AJOL, Episciences, Make Data Count, RDA, Software Heritage and SciPost. Their updates highlight expanded services (including new diamond OA journals and wider disciplinary coverage), deeper integrations and partnerships, and ongoing challenges in sustaining technical development and staffing on lean, under‑target funding |
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| | | | What Counts as Diamond Open Access? China Has Its Own Answer.By Mingfang Lu and Maryam Sayab The article argues that many Chinese journals and platforms, including those linked to China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, a large national database that hosts Chinese scholarly journals and other research), effectively operate like “diamond open access” because they are free to read and do not charge authors publishing fees. Yet these models rarely show up in dominant Western discussions and classification systems about diamond open access, which tend to focus on Latin American and European examples and use criteria that do not fully capture how Chinese platforms are organised and funded. |
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| | | | | CAUL Annual Impact 2025 report just released.CAUL has released its inaugural Annual Impact Report, highlighting how member libraries are collaborating across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand to advance open scholarship and research infrastructure. The report outlines key work on open access and open science (including policy advocacy, sector‑wide agreements, and shared infrastructure), as well as projects to strengthen digital discovery, data and repository services, and support for scholarly communication staff. |
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| | | | Relational futures: Indigenous sovereignty and the governance of artificial intelligence (AI)By Bronwyn Carlson, Tamika Worrell “Artificial intelligence is increasingly embedded in everyday life in Australia, shaping communication, services, and relationships. This report presents findings from the Relational Futures project, an Indigenous led study examining how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are encountering and responding to AI, including generative systems, automated decision-making tools, and AI companions.” |
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| | | | Forensic Scientometrics (FoSci) Report 2026: Understanding, Detecting, and Documenting Manipulation in the Research EcosystemBy Leslie D. McIntosh et al. This report investigates how manipulation occurs across the research ecosystem, from suspicious individual papers through to organised misconduct networks and system level failures, and concludes by mapping current detection methods and gaps and outlining priority areas where publishers, institutions, funders and policymakers need to act next. |
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| | | | | Reimagining Inclusive Open Science for Equity, Justice, and Sustainability. A Discussion Paper for the Global Research Council (GRC) 2025 – 2026By Leslie Chan This paper urges research funders worldwide to radically rethink how they understand, steer, and put open science into practice. Instead of treating open science mainly as a way to boost access, efficiency, and output, it draws on ideas of epistemic justice, context-specific openness, and regenerative knowledge to argue for a different approach. Open science, it suggests, should be seen as an inherently political and ethical project: a collaborative, relational way of producing knowledge that foregrounds care, mutual responsibility, and the ability of communities to define for themselves how and on what terms their knowledge is shared. |
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| | | | | Alignment Whack-a-Mole : Finetuning Activates Verbatim Recall of Copyrighted Books in Large Language Modelsby Xinyue Liu, Niloofar Mireshghallah, Jane Ginsburg Tuhin Chakrabarty This new study shows that with the right prompts, production LLMs can be coaxed into regurgitating long, near‑verbatim stretches of copyrighted books, undermining claims that they don’t memorise training data and raising fresh questions about copyright, privacy and data leakage in AI tools. |
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| | | | Generative AI Meets Cataloging PracticeBy Greta Heng, Patricia Lampron & Myung-Ja Han This article reports on a small pilot comparing four generative AI tools (ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Gemini, and Copilot) for creating descriptive metadata for a mixed set of resources. Using different prompt styles the authors found that more structured, example‑rich prompts improved the formatting and structure of what the tools produced. DeepSeek and ChatGPT tended to perform best, but all four models struggled with things cataloguers care about most, like correctly using descriptive fields, handling subject headings, and assigning URIs, reinforcing that AI‑generated metadata still needs careful human review |
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| | | | | The Indigenous Data Alliance webinar SeriesThe Indigenous Data Alliance is an independent, Indigenous‑women‑led nonprofit that works to advance Indigenous Data Sovereignty and Governance by building policy, legal and technical infrastructures “by Indigenous Peoples, for Indigenous Peoples”. This YouTube webinar series features talks and panels on Indigenous‑led data governance, community data capacity building, and practical frameworks and Ai tools. |
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| | | | | Open Science and disinformation with Sabina Leonelli and Richard Williams“…a thought-provoking podcast that delves into the intricate web of relationality in the realms of knowledge, data, information, and technology. Join PhD students WariNkwi Flores and Sierra Hicks as they engage in insightful dialogues with researchers, exploring systems of knowledge production and tackling pressing questions about our futures, pasts, and presents.” Several recent episodes give insightful takes on the proceedings of the US Indigenous Data Sovereignty Summit held in April 2026. |
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| | | Upcoming events in OA & scholarly publishing |
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