The IOAP Diamond Open Access Awards

Jane Buggle (Institute Librarian at IADT, Co-Manager of the IOAP)

The IOAP (Irish Open Access Publishers) is a community of practice established by librarians and academics to support and promote Diamond Open Access Publishing. The aim of this dynamic community of practice is to promote publishing activity that is free of article processing charges (APCs), paywalls and publication embargoes, to further the dissemination of high-quality scholarly output to all in society. The IOAP’s international Advisory Board is comprised of key players in the area. The IOAP is a signatory of Science Europe’s Diamond OA Action Plan and it is a partner in a number of NORF-funded projects.

The IOAP held its inaugural webinar on 6th December at which Dr Graham Stone (Jisc/DIAMAS), Dr Bregt Saenen (Science Europe), and Katrine Sundsbø (DOAJ) spoke about the Challenges and Opportunities of Diamond OA Publishing. The recording and slides are here. Publish OA Ireland and the IOAP will co-host a DOAJ Sprint event, Demystifying the DOAJ Application with Judith Barnsby, on Thursday 29th February at 2pm.

Nominations are now open for the inaugural IOAP Diamond Open Access Awards. Diamond OA Publishers from across Ireland (including Northern Ireland) are invited to nominate/self-nominate in any of the following four categories:

• Best Peer-Reviewed Open Access Journal
• Best Peer-Reviewed Open Access Monograph
• Best Open Educational Resource
• Outstanding Contribution to Diamond Open Access Publishing in Ireland

The closing date for the submission of nominations is 1st February 2024. Winners will be announced at the IOAP Annual Conference on 12th March.  Each winner will receive an IOAP Medal and an accompanying electronic signature. The Awards will be adjudicated by a prestigious international panel of judges.  Full details of judges, judging criteria, nomination procedures, and the nomination forms are here.