This news update is the fifth in our "Road to Open" series, this month highlighting the ways in which EDP Sciences promotes "green” open access through a progressive self-archiving policy, and initiatives such as partnership with Peer Community in.

Our “Road to Open” series offers a monthly showcase of advancements at both the journal and publisher level, focusing on successful implementations of open publishing models and the journals that are demonstrating their sustainability. Join the conversation on social media with #RoadToOpen.

Peer Community in: transparent, inclusive peer review

Peer Community In (PCI)is a non-profit, non-commercial platform that publishes recommendations of preprints after peer-review through specific communities of researchers. PCI harnesses the expertise of researchers, known as "recommenders”, to evaluate and recommend high-quality articles within their respective fields. This innovative model fosters a sense of community-driven peer review, promoting transparency, inclusivity, and accessibility in scholarly publishing.

Aquatic Living Resources joins the growing list of "PCI-friendly" journals published by EDP Sciences. PCI-friendly journals commit to facilitating the peer review process of articles recommended by Peer Community in. PCI's endorsement of articles later published in our journals not only upholds the highest standards of academic rigour but also advances our mission to promote equitable access to scientific knowledge.

Embracing open peer review

Peer review reports and recommendations of Peer Community in are available on the PCI platform in open access. The database linking functionality of EDP Sciences’ publication platform ensures that PCI reports and recommendations can be easily discovered and accessed. By embracing community-driven peer review through a partnership with PCI, we not only uphold the integrity of scholarly communication but also pave the way for a more inclusive and transparent publishing ecosystem.

Support our open access PCI-friendly journals by reading, sharing with colleagues and submitting your research.

• Aquatic Living Resources
• Mathematical Modelling of Natural Phenomena,
• Oilseeds and Fats, Crops and Lipids

Green open access: Facilitating wider knowledge dissemination

Green open access, also called self-archiving, enables authors to deposit a version of their manuscript in an open access repository, either subject-based or institutional.

EDP Sciences has long applied a generous green open access policy, allowing authors to self-archive all versions of their article including the Author Accepted Manuscript and the Version of Record, without embargo. Details of EDP Sciences self-archiving policy are available at: EDP Sciences - Copyright and licensing.

Plan S: Accelerating the open access transition

At the forefront of the open access movement stands Plan S, an ambitious initiative launched in 2018 and led by a coalition of research funding organizations. Plan S aims to expedite the transition to full and immediate open access to scholarly publications.

EDP Sciences has extended its self-archiving policy to accompany the rights retention movement and allow researchers to retain sufficient rights to their scientific publications so these can be made available in immediate open access regardless of the dissemination model of the journal they are published in. Our green open access policy complies with Plan S, allowing authors supported in whole or in part by cOAlition S organisations or other funders requiring it, to self-archive their Author Accepted Manuscripts (only), without embargo, under a CC BY license or equivalent, in an Open Access repository.

As we continue on our road to open access, we invite researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts alike to find out more about our policies surrounding preprints and open peer review.