Using Diamond Open Access to Break Down Barriers: What UVM Press Does to Step Up

By Rosali Hernandez

The University of Vermont Press makes an active effort to StepUP by using a diamond open access publishing model to publish our journals and books. This model, which uses Creative Commons licenses to enable sharing of published material, makes authorship and readership free for everyone—benefitting all those involved. And just as importantly, it promotes equity by removing financial, geographic, and time-related barriers to important knowledge by eliminating fees and article processing charges (called APCs) for authors publishing research.

Under our diamond access open model, scholars at institutions everywhere can share our publications with each other and readers are able to view all UVM Press published content without having to access a paywall. Peer-reviewed knowledge is often expensive for authors to publish and expensive for readers to access, so UVM Press is proud to bridge the financial barriers that often make it hard for researchers without substantial institutional resources to disseminate their work. 

Geographic barriers are another critical factor when considering audience and author accessibility when it comes to scholarly publishing. With our diamond open access model, authors and scholars everywhere can publish no matter where they are. This accommodates the underrepresented and overlooked scholars, from the Global South for example. With an internet connection, readers can choose the format that works best for them (read online, download a PDF, or download an ebook) without having to be concerned about location. This makes peer-reviewed, reliable, factually informed content free to local, national, and global communities to read and share immediately.

The UVM Press and our partners make a commitment not to profit from publishing or sharing material to actively counteract current standards and avoid passing publishing costs onto readers and researchers. We are funded by the University of Vermont, which recognizes the important role of the university press in sharing research widely and supports our use of a diamond model. UVM Press is setting an example that we hope other academic presses will follow by making accessible knowledge a priority in our publications. Sharing information is incredibly important to us, as we are part of a land-grant institution that was built to serve its community, an idea that we keep front and center in everything we do.

Rosali Hernandez is an undergraduate publishing intern for the UVM Press.