"One Nation, One Subscription" (ONOS) model
‘One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS)’ proposes a centralised model of subscription to scientific journals, making them universally available to all publicly funded institutions.
It is costly to get access to these commercial journals.
It is estimated that institutions in India annually spend ₹1,500 crore to access journals and databases.
But the fruits of this expenditure are reaped by only the top few institutes.
ONOS negotiation by the government is currently underway with the five major commercial publishers who dominate the market.
Accessing scientific literature outside
Currently, there is a strong push for Open Access (OA) by the U.S. and European Union.
The U.S. released its updated OA policy in 2023 that mandates immediate open accessibility of all publicly funded research articles by 2025
Challenges in accessing scientific literature in India
Considering this trend, it is reasonable to argue that we should be paying less than before.
The oligopolistic academic publishing market, dominated by a handful of powerful publishers in the global north, allows these publishers to set stringent terms, making any negotiation on ONOS a challenge.
The entrenched reputation and authority of these publishers also stymie any discussion of alternatives.
If significant portions of research are already accessible without cost, the rationale for a unified, costly subscription becomes less compelling.
It is also important to note that ONOS will not help make Indian research globally accessible; rather, it primarily facilitates access for Indian researchers to journals owned by big publishing oligarchs
Even if one pays and subscribes to the journal, there is no guarantee of continued access.
Today, most academic journals are only digitally available.
Most articles have a digital object identifier (DOI), but DOI does not ensure long-term preservation.
A recent study highlights that “approximately 28% of academic journal articles with DOIs appear entirely unpreserved.”
This finding suggests that millions of research papers risk vanishing from the Internet.
Alternatives
To become atmanirbhar (self-reliant), India needs to make its own journal system better, with no burden of payment to authors or readers.
Further, with its capabilities in digital technology, India should also become a pioneer for the global south by creating and sharing digital public infrastructure for low-cost, high-quality scientific publishing.
COMMENTS