Finding Community in the Commercial: The Fully OA Group to Collaborate at the Charleston Conference 2023

As International Open Access Week draws to a close, we have another exciting event to look forward to in the coming weeks: the Charleston Conference 2023!

This year, alongside attending the full conference, ]u[ Ubiquity will be taking part in the vendor showcase on 7th November and we will not be alone: we will be sharing an exhibition booth with Frontiers, JMIR Publications, and MDPI, fellow members of the Fully OA Group. Together, the four of us will be representing the group, spreading the word about our mission, and hopefully initiating some important and exciting discussions around open research.

What is the Fully OA Group?

The Fully OA Group, as the name would suggest, is quite simply a ‘group of publishers who give full open access to their publications’. Born out of the OASPA Interest Group of Fully OA journal organisations, the group meets once a month to exchange ideas, discuss initiatives, and, where appropriate, promote collaboration amongst OA publishers.

Membership of this group is based only on the organisation’s publishing model; publishers must publish 100% of their journal content open access, and can not be mixed model nor in any kind of ‘transitional’ stage towards open access. It is independent of the organisation’s specific business model, e.g. whether commercial or non-profit, using APCs, or otherwise, Gold, Green or Diamond OA.

Who are the Fully OA Group?

The Fully OA Group is not a monolith; the group is comprised of a range of publishers who each bring different approaches, opinions, and business models to the table. However, all members of the group are united under one common goal — fully open research. We come together to exchange ideas and discuss our opinions (even when they differ!) because though our paths may differ, our destination is the same.

The Fully OA Group is an example of how even within the commercial publishing industry, there is space for collaboration and community, rather than competition. Within the open access, open science and open research communities, shared values, morals and beliefs underpin our missions; by bringing together and listening to a range of different perspectives and voices, we can all learn from each other.

With that in mind, we are excited to be collaborating with Frontiers, JMIR Publications, and MDPI at Charleston, and looking forward to answering any questions about the group, about what we as individual publishers do, or about open access more generally in person. You will be able to find the Fully OA Group at booth number 97 on 7th November. See you there!