Enhancing Quality in Open Access Scholarly Publishing: From Proxies to Responsible Assessment

Abstract

Background and Objective: Despite significant progress in Open Access (OA) and Open Science (OS) over the past three decades, longstanding challenges in scholarly publishing—including the reproducibility crisis, market concentration, rising costs, inequality, and flawed research assessment policies—persist alongside emerging threats such as paper mills, hyperproduction, and uncritical AI use. This paper argues that OA alone is insufficient; a broader transformation encompassing research integrity, transparent peer review, open infrastructure, and responsible assessment is required. 
Results and Conclusion: Diamond Open Access (Diamond OA)—characterized by no author or reader fees and community ownership—offers a relevant framework for addressing these intersecting issues. The paper examines the European Diamond Capacity Hub (EDCH), established in 2025, and its central quality alignment tool, the Diamond Open Access Standard (DOAS). DOAS provides a multidimensional framework for assessing journal quality through governance, funding, editorial integrity, open science compliance, technical infrastructure, visibility, and equity, rather than relying on journal reputation or proxy indicators. The EDCH also supports visibility through the Diamond Discovery Hub, capacity building via training platforms and toolsuites, and community engagement through registries and forums. The paper concludes that Diamond OA, supported by shared standards and public infrastructure, demonstrates that openness, quality, and equity are mutually reinforcing goals. Aligning publishing practices with research assessment reform represents a necessary cultural shift for restoring trust in science.