AGU Leads Open Science Push With Accessible Publishing Initiatives
The American Geophysical Union (AGU) has been at the forefront of promoting open science and accessibility in research publishing. In 2023, AGU hosted the Community Science Exchange and signed the UN's Sustainable Development Goals Publisher's Compact, demonstrating its commitment to relevant issues in research and publishing.
AGU's dedication to accessibility and collaboration spans years. In 2023, it launched the GeoHorizons open access book series in collaboration with The Geological Society. This series focuses on solution-oriented science and environmental issues, particularly climate protection and sustainable development.
AGU supports authors financially through transformational agreements and Research4Life, ensuring all accepted articles are published regardless of the author's ability to pay fees. This commitment has led to a growth in open science indicators over the past five years, with an increase in open access articles and data citations in AGU journals. AGU also encourages open data and software, with 99% of research articles now including a data availability statement since implementing a data citation policy in 2022.
AGU offers a co-review option in all journals to expand participation among reviewers and train the next generation of reviewers. This initiative aligns with the U.S. government's Office of Science and Technology Policy's announcement of the Year of Open Science in 2023. AGU joins in acknowledging this year as the Year of Open Science and commits to making Earth and space sciences more accessible and transparent.
AGU's commitment to open science and accessibility is evident in its initiatives. By hosting the Community Science Exchange, signing the UN's compact, launching the GeoHorizons series, and supporting authors financially, AGU is making Earth and space sciences more accessible and transparent, aligning with the U.S. government's Year of Open Science.
