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

Abstract

Background and Objective: Despite significant progress in Open Access and Open Science 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 the uncritical application of artificial intelligence. This paper argues that open access alone is insufficient; a broader transformation encompassing research integrity, transparent peer review, open infrastructure, and responsible assessment is needed.

Results and Conclusion: Diamond Open Access, characterised by no author or reader fees and community ownership, offers a relevant framework for addressing these intersecting challenges. The paper examines the European Diamond Capacity Hub and its central quality alignment tool, the Diamond Open Access Standard, which 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. Beyond quality alignment, European Diamond Capacity Hub supports visibility through the Diamond Discovery Hub, strengthens capacity through dedicated training platforms and tool suites, and fosters community engagement through publisher registries and editorial forums. The paper concludes that Diamond Open Access, 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.