Shortcomings in the area of open-access publishing are repeatedly criticized and discussed in the scientific community. Meanwhile, there are initiatives such as the DORA declaration, which aim to implement improvement and sustainability at specific points of the system. Regrettably, it can be observed at the same time that corresponding intentions are only partially realized. Simultaneously, status groups such as Ph.D. students, which are comparatively low in the science system, bear a burden or dilemma: All too often, they have to choose between improving their own career prospects and what can be called sustainable and good scientific practice. However, such decisions should not be imposed on those who hold a lower and insecure position in the scientific system. Rather, decision-makers at scientific institutions must finally begin to implement the DORA recommendations consistently or renounce them.
These reflections can be read here in full length in a new Letter-to-the-editor in the journal Scientometrics.
Ellinger, J. (2023). Don't put the greatest pressure on the weakest. Scientometrics, 128(9). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-023-04816-0