Diamond Open Access (DOA) promises a world without paywalls: no subscriptions, no article fees, free publishing and free reading. At first glance, it looks like the fair and sustainable alternative to Gold and Hybrid OA.
But behind the appealing vision lie tough questions. Diamond is vaguely defined, costs are often hidden or underestimated, and journals rely heavily on unpaid work. Legal risks also loom: in Europe, DOA funded by universities may clash with EU competition law.
Most importantly, reputation remains decisive for researchers’ careers. Without prestige, DOA journals risk being ignored—no matter how fair their model.
Diamond OA is an inspiring vision. But is it sustainable at scale—or just too good to be true?
On this very topic, I gave a keynote at the 9th Open Science Retreat, Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, the slides are available as:
Herb, U. (2025, September 24). Diamond Open Access – Too good to be true?. 9th Open Science Retreat, Leibniz Information Centre for Economics: “Diamond OA: Utopian Dream or the Only Fair Future?”. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17190229