As always around the turn of the year, I reflect on the past (or passing) year and the new (or upcoming) year in my blog. A look back at 2024 and ahead to 2025 is crucial for understanding the trends and changes that have impacted me.
First, I want to mention that I moved my website from the domain scidebug.com to pulse49.com. The name scidebug was too similar in name to the company scidecode, in which I am involved. In the process, I deleted almost all blog posts that had appeared on scidebug or its predecessor domains scinoptica or scidecode (back when I was running the company alone). The reason for this was sheer convenience—the massive number of redirects I would have needed to set up and the domains I would have had to register demanded too much effort.
2024
Publications and Presentations
As usual, the past year is also reflected in publications and presentations. With Otmane Azeroual and Joachim Schöpfel, I published the article “Redefining Research Evaluation: CRIS, Open Science, and AI-Driven Innovations” (in German; more information and the link to the full-text can be found here). This piece stems from a presentation at BiblioCon (a sort of German library congress).
Along with Pablo de Castro, Laura Rothfritz, Wolfgang Benedikt Schmal, and Joachim Schöpfel, I co-authored the report Galvanising the Open Access Community: A Study on the Impact of Plan S. More details can be found here.
Laura Rothfritz, Wolfgang Benedikt Schmal, and I also examined whether transformative agreements truly lead to a flip from Closed to Open Access in Trapped in Transformative Agreements? A Multifaceted Analysis of >1,000 Contracts.
With Dirk Tunger, I questioned the (uncertain) prospects of German-language information science in an article titled Information Science: Independent Discipline or Just a Label? (in German).
Finally, Wolfgang Benedikt Schmal and I reflected on whether Diamond Open Access is merely a trendy but not-so-new form of Open Access, or whether it can indeed enable a successful flip from Closed to Open Access after the transformative agreements fell short of expectations.
Additionally, I had the honor of delivering a keynote at LundOnline 2024, titled Balancing Aspirations and Outcomes: A Critical Look at Open Access Policies and Their Evolution.
My university job
At the Saarland University and State Library, we successfully secured funding for our Open Access Fund through the funding program Open Access Publication Funding of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). Furthermore, we are actively implementing the information budget. Fortunately, we were also able to recruit staff for the Open Access Coordination Office for Saarland, which is hosted at our institution.
Scidecode Science Consulting
In 2024, the above-mentioned report Galvanising the Open Access Community: A Study on the Impact of Plan S summarized the findings of our study conducted for cOAlition S. The report received significant media attention, including coverage in Science, which proved highly beneficial for us.
Other Freelance Activities
In addition to my work for Saarland University and our company scidecode, I also operated as a solo freelancer. Notably, in 2024, I worked as an independent consultant for OUROUK Consulting in Paris on a study on multinational information consortia. I also conducted workshops on academic publishing and Open Science for the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg and for the German Society for Information and Knowledge (Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Information und Wissen e.V, DGI).
Miscellaneous
I am delighted to have joined four advisory boards in 2024:
- Amsterdam University Press Germany
- EconStor Open Access Server of ZBW (Leibniz Information Center for Economics)
- the project ROR2 (Recherche sur la Recherche / Research on Research, funded by the French Agence Nationale de la Recherche) which examines systemic dynamics of publication practices and platforms, addressing challenges like open washing and promoting responsible research.
- segmnz.com, a company specializing in target group segmentation based on social actors’ motives.
Setbacks and the Bizarre
However, there were, of course, complications, obstacles, and failures. For instance, there is currently an inquiry into whether freelancers working for scidecode might be classified as falsely self-employed. Regardless of the outcome, we will need either to consult a specialist lawyer or employ the experts we wish to collaborate with, which would make things less attractive for them due to tax implications.
In the fall, scidecode applied for a contract with an international organization. We were required to complete numerous forms, including one confirming that we were not involved in modern slavery. Additionally, we were asked to take out liability insurance for employees. I responded that we do not have employees (as a GbR, our legal form comprises freelancers working together). The awarding organization still insisted on such insurance, but no insurance company would provide it since we have no employees. Ultimately, we did not win the contract, though it remains unclear whether the insurance issue played a role. This incident again highlights the bureaucratic hurdles small companies face.
2025
Regarding my university job, the implementation and development of the Open Access Coordination for Saarland will certainly be a priority. On the other hand, the specific focus areas are somewhat unpredictable, making soild forecasts difficult. As a solo freelancer, I am planning a course titled Academic Publishing and Open Science: Principles, Processes, and Practices with colleagues from various institutions across Germany for the Continuing Education Center Saar (CEC Saar). I will also be working as a reviewer for swissuniversities and, together with Joachim Schöpfel and Niels-Oliver Walkowski, plan to extend the 2018 book Open Divide – Critical Studies on Open Access (co-edited with Joachim) into an online lecture series with subsequent publication. Two workshops are already scheduled: the same as in 2024 for the DGI and another for the Technical University of Chemnitz. Additionally, I will offer an open consultation session on scholarly communication for the DGI—an experimental event I am particularly excited about. Furthermore, I may contribute to a guide on academic work. A journalistic article on Diamond Open Access and metrics is already in progress, and I hope to find the time to write an article exploring the evolution of Open Access policies. Regarding presentations, one is confirmed: in March, I will give a talk on Diamond Open Access in social sciences at a meeting of the Social Sciences Specialized Information Service.