What is SCOAP3?
Picture © 2014 by CERN CC-BY-SA 4.0
SCOAP3 is a one-of-its-kind partnership of over three thousand libraries, key funding agencies and research centers in 44 countries and 3 intergovernmental organisations. Working with leading publishers, SCOAP3 has converted key journals in the field of High-Energy Physics to Open Access at no cost for authors. SCOAP3 centrally pays publishers for costs involved in providing Open Access, publishers in turn reduce subscription fees to all their customers, who can re-direct these funds to contribute to SCOAP3. Each country contributes in a way commensurate to its scientific output in the field. In addition, existing Open Access journals are also centrally supported, removing any existing financial barrier for authors.
SCOAP3 journals are open for any scientist to publish in without any financial barriers. Copyright stays with authors, and a permissive CC-BY license allow text- and data-mining. SCOAP3 addresses Open Access mandates at no burden for authors. All articles appear in the SCOAP3 repository for further distribution, as well as being Open Access on publishers’ websites.
How does it work?
The SCOAP3 model is based on a lightweight central administration which arranges payment of Article Processing Charges at a competitive level, through funds made available from a redirection of former subscription money. Participating libraries redirect the money previously used for subscribing to the SCOAP3 journals into a common fund, from which the publication costs are paid. This redirection is possible as all publishers are reducing or eliminating subscription costs to the SCOAP3 journals and credit all their clients respectively.
The total amount contributed by each country is commensurate with its share in the worldwide scientific output in High-Energy Physics. Currently this is based on the geographical distribution of HEP authorship as in the years 2005-2006 when the initiative was first proposed, as listed below.
Geographical distribution of HEP authorship amongst SCOAP3 partners
Back to table view| Country | Country share |
|---|---|
| Algeria | 0.1% |
| Argentina | 0.6% |
| Armenia | 0.2% |
| Australia | 0.6% |
| Austria | 0.5% |
| Belarus | 0.1% |
| Belgium | 0.7% |
| Brazil | 2.7% |
| Bulgaria | 0.1% |
| Canada | 2.8% |
| Chile | 0.6% |
| China (PRC) | 5.6% |
| CERN | 2.1% |
| Colombia | 0.1% |
| Croatia | 0.2% |
| Czech Republic | 0.3% |
| Denmark | 0.6% |
| Egypt | 0.1% |
| Finland | 0.5% |
| France | 3.8% |
| Georgia | 0.1% |
| Germany | 9.1% |
| Greece | 0.7% |
| Hong-Kong | 0.02% |
| Hungary | 0.4% |
| Iceland | 0.02% |
| India | 2.7% |
| Iran | 0.9% |
| Ireland | 0.3% |
| Israel | 1.0% |
| Italy | 6.9% |
| Japan | 7.1% |
| JINR | 0.7% |
| Korea, Republic of | 1.8% |
| Mexico | 0.8% |
| Morocco | 0.1% |
| Netherlands | 0.9% |
| New Zealand | 0.1% |
| Norway | 0.3% |
| Poland | 1.3% |
| Portugal | 0.9% |
| Romania | 0.1% |
| Russia | 3.4% |
| Serbia | 0.1% |
| Singapore | 0.1% |
| Slovak Republic | 0.05% |
| Slovenia | 0.2% |
| South Africa | 0.1% |
| Spain | 2.9% |
| Sweden | 0.8% |
| Switzerland | 1.3% |
| Taiwan | 0.8% |
| Turkey | 0.6% |
| Ukraine | 0.2% |
| United Kingdom | 6.6% |
| United States | 24.3% |
| Venezuela | 0.1% |
| Vietnam | 0.1% |
SCOAP3 Executive Committee
The Executive Committee oversees the day-to-day operation of the partnership. Supported by both the SCOAP3 Operations Manager and several Community Working Groups, the Executive Committee ensures a smooth operation and manages relations with partners and participating publishers. The Executive Committee comprises 4 to 6 members appointed by the Governing Council as well as one representative of CERN as the Host Organisation. The Committee meets at least once a month and reports to the Governing Council.
Show the current Executive Committee members- Jun Adachi (Japan)
- Ivy Anderson (United States)
- Clare Appavoo (Canada)
- Stefano Bianco (Italy)
- Nina Karlstrøm (Norway)
CERN in its role as the Host Organization of SCOAP3 appointed Salvatore Mele as additional member of the Executive Committee.
Ralf Schimmer (Germany) as the Chair of the Governing Council as well as Alexander Kohls as the SCOAP3 Operations Manager attend the meetings as observers.
Community Working Groups
The Governing Council decides about the creation of working groups and appoints the working group members.
Show the current Working Group membersCurrently the SCOAP3 governance includes three working groups:
Audit Committee – selects the external auditor, defines the audit mandate and reviews the audit report.
Members: Jun Adachi (JP, chair), Carolyn Alderson (UK), Natalia Grygierczyk (NL).
Communications and Outreach Working Group – provides advice on outreach and marketing material and the communication strategy.
Members: Nina Karlstrøm (NO, chair), Carol Hoover (US), Carolyn Alderson (UK), Jens Vigen (CERN), Paola Gargiulo (IT), Salvatore Mele (CERN).
Repository Strategy and Support Working Group – supports the SCOAP3 Repository Manager on strategic and technical aspects of the development of the SCOAP3 Repository and its interfaces. Members: Florian Schwennsen (DE), Jean-Blaise Claivaz (CH), João Moreira (PT), Salvatore Mele (CERN).
SCOAP3 Governing Council
The SCOAP3 Governing Council is the decision-making body of the partnership responsible for its overall governance and strategic direction. The Governing Council is composed of representatives from countries that contribute to SCOAP3. The Governing Council appoints the Executive Committee and the Working Groups and meets at least once a year. The Governing Council is currently chaired by Ralf Schimmer.
Show reports of previous meetings- Governing Council meeting at CERN on December 4th 2013
- Governing Council meeting at CERN on May 26th 2014
- Governing Council meeting at CERN on December 17th 2014
- Governing Council meeting at CERN on June 15/16th 2015
- Governing Council meeting at CERN on December 11th 2015
- Governing Council meeting (remote) on March 18th 2016
SCOAP3 Forum
The forum represents our “town hall”, where members hear about the latest developments in SCOAP3, discuss future plans and make recommendations to the SCOAP3 Governing Council. To allow broad participation, the Forum is organised as a webinar. The Forum is chaired by Ivy Anderson. Recordings of the two previous Forums are available here:
