PRESS RELEASE
Zagreb, Croatia, 30th March 2023
The DAP Platform: A Game Changer for Scholarly Publishing
How can researchers make their work available and freely accessible? How can they keep track of research in their field? How can we make scholarly publishing more efficient and trustworthy? The new Platform for the Democratisation of Scientific Publishing (DAP) addresses these questions. The aim of the platform DAP is to create a democratic, trustworthy and efficient infrastructure for scholarly publishing to support the European Research Area, Open Research Europe and the Digital Europe Programme.
This unique initiative brings together researchers from the Centre for Informatics and Computing at the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI) in Zagreb, Croatia, along with experts from NGI Trublo, Moon Code, and HashNET. The project is funded under the Horizon 2020 Programme.
The DAP platform was developed in response to the many challenges researchers and academics face in scientific publishing. The goal of DAP is to give authors, researchers, and the public more control over academic knowledge and information, improve recognition of the efforts of all participants in the peer review process, and prevent breaches of research integrity.
More Weight for Academic Voices
Researchers around the world face numerous challenges in the traditional academic publishing process. These include lengthy and opaque peer review processes, high publication costs, and limited access to publication opportunities. These constraints often impede scientific progress and innovation and limit the dissemination of important research findings.
The peer review process can take months or even years, with reviewers often exercising a disproportionate amount of control over the publication process. In addition, the high costs associated with traditional academic publishing can be prohibitive, especially for researchers with limited financial resources or those from developing countries.
To address these challenges, the DAP platform has introduced a new solution.
The goal of the DAP platform, which is based on blockchain technology and smart contracts, is to give authors, researchers, and the public greater control over academic knowledge and information while improving recognition of the efforts of all participants in the peer review process and preventing breaches of research integrity.
"Our blockchain-based platform is intended to provide a democratic, trustworthy, and efficient infrastructure for academic publishing that gives authors, researchers, and the public greater control over academic knowledge and information. Moreover, we believe that the democratisation of academic publishing will lead to a new value and quality in science, as well as to a new generation of collecting and sharing scientific knowledge and academic ranking," said Karolj Skala, project coordinator at the Ruđer Bošković Institute.
The proposed architecture of DAP includes a decentralised set of rules and procedures, decentralised archiving of articles and reviews, on-demand anonymity and privacy, a decentralised open review process, and the possibility of direct publication.
Join the Open Knowledge Movement!
"We invite researchers and academics from around the world to join to DAP initiatives to support the democratisation of academic publishing and help shape the future of scientific progress and innovation.
You can support the DAP platform by completing our questionnaires, which will help us better understand your needs and preferences regarding scholarly publishing. Your feedback will be crucial in helping us shape the future of scholarly publishing and ensure that the DAP platform meets the needs of researchers and academics from around the world", said Karolj Skala, Project Coordinator at the Ruđer Bošković Institute.
To join the DAP platform and support this important initiative, please visit the project website:
https://www.dap.irb.hr/ and fill in the questionnaire: https://survey.czi.irb.hr/q/index.php?lang=en&r=survey%2Findex&sid=497542
For media inquiries or more information about the DAP Platform, please contact
Karolj [dot] Skala
irb [dot] hr (Karolj[dot]Skala[at]irb[dot]hr)
RUĐER BOŠKOVIĆ INSTITUTE – RBI (www.irb.hr) is the largest multidisciplinary research institute in the Republic of Croatia in the field of natural and biomedical sciences, marine and environmental research. Today, RBI consists of 11 institutes and 4 centres, as well as administrative and technical services, with a total of more than 1000 employees, of which almost 80% are scientists and researchers. The Institute is the leading and most competitive national institution in terms of participation in international research projects such as the program HORIZON 2020, IAEA, EC, NATO and other international scientific programs. With its research capabilities, knowledge and scientific excellence, the Institute has assumed the role of the link between science and the economic sector of the Republic of Croatia. A multidisciplinary approach is one of the main strengths of the Institute, which provides comprehensive solutions to a wide range of socially important issues.
THE CENTER FOR INFORMATICS AND COMPUTING (https://cir.com.hr ) is an organizational unit of the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI), where research projects, development programs and services for scientists in the fields of optoelectronics, information technology and computer science are carried out. The tasks of the centre include scientific research, development and maintenance of infrastructure, technology and logistics for the RBI and global scientific research based on modern informatics, technologies and informatics that have led to the development of eScience technologies based on scientific information and communication technology
Details
- Publication date
- 6 April 2023