Introducing “Open Advances” – unlocking Open Access to address global challenges

We are excited to announce a new series of journals, which will open for submissions in September: Open Advances will offer globally equitable access to participate in scientific communication, with no financial barriers to read or publish. Driven by leaders in their research community, the journals will prioritize the review and publication of research that makes a meaningful contribution to addressing the challenges facing the world.

Open Advances will be community-led and community-focused, to create an invaluable forum for new ideas, and networks of researchers to pose and answer the most pressing questions in their field and address the challenges facing the world.

We believe that the ability to participate in research communication is vital, and that paying publication fees can create a barrier to participation. We intend to unlock the potential of Open Access to solve vital global challenges, and therefore no author will be asked to pay a fee to publish in Open Advances. The first four Open Advances journals will cover ecology, marine biology, plant science and zoology.

Empowering Global Research for a Better World

Guided by globally representative Editorial Boards, and led by their Editors-in-Chief, each journal will identify the most pressing questions in their community’s field, and prioritize the peer review of those submissions that they believe hold the potential to provide answers to those questions.

The journals’ focus will be on evaluating contributions based on their meaningful impact in addressing the most significant challenges faced by a research community’s field – and the world – and not on the authors’ reputation or geographical location.

Removing Fee Barriers, Inspiring Collaboration

We believe in empowering scholars to address the most pressing issues of our time, and that starts with removing barriers to equitable access to scientific communication. Affirming our commitment to openness and equity, no author will be burdened by financial constraints when sharing their groundbreaking research. From the journals’ launch, no authors will be required to pay a fee to publish their research. PeerJ will support this transformative endeavor, which will gradually transition to sustainable support through Annual Institutional Memberships, and ultimately, collective action.

Transparent Peer Review and Enriched Publications

Published articles will be accompanied by comprehensive peer review reports, as well as an Impact Statement from both the Editorial Board and the authors. These statements will shed light on which of the journal’s key questions or challenges the research addresses. The journals will create bodies of research that address each of the key questions or challenges, which will be regularly reviewed and updated by the Editorial Board.

The journals will publish research articles, along with reviews, opinion and other articles that their communities deem necessary to achieve their goals.

A Call to Action

If our vision resonates with you and you want to unlock Open Access by supporting the Open Advances series, we invite you to:

Apply to join the Editorial Board of one of the first Open Advances journals, or nominate a colleague

Consider submitting your research when the journals open in September, and sign up for updates on our progress to launch

Propose a journal idea – these journals are just the start of the Open Advances series, and if you’d like to work with us to launch a journal in another field, we welcome your input

Encourage your institution to sign up for an Annual Institutional Membership – as well as providing unlimited publishing in our journal portfolio for a flat fee, you’ll contribute to the support and development of the Open Advances series and everything it stands for