Mapping the Landscape of Open Access Dashboards - A Dataset for Research and Infrastructure Development

2025-12-01

AI Summary

This study addresses the fragmented landscape of open access (OA) monitoring tools—characterized by inconsistent metrics, heterogeneous data standards, and limited cross-platform comparability. To tackle this, we conducted a comprehensive survey of nearly 60 international OA dashboards, designed the first domain-specific metadata schema for OA monitoring, and constructed a structured, extensible dataset. Methodologically, we introduced a participatory curation mechanism and a systematic indexing framework to enable sustainable, multi-stakeholder collaboration in data maintenance. The outcome is the first global, comprehensive, and open-source OA dashboard dataset. It provides empirical foundations and standardized analytical infrastructure for research management bodies, policymakers, and library and information science scholars. By harmonizing indicators and ensuring transparency, scalability, and reproducibility, this work significantly enhances the comparability, transparency, and long-term sustainability of OA progress monitoring. (149 words)

Technology Category

• Data Mining & Knowledge Management: Linked Open Data, Knowledge Graphs & KB Completion
• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Search and Optimization: Metareasoning and Metaheuristics

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Data transparency and provenance
• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Web data provenance, reliability, and authenticity
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Data quality aspects of human-annotated datasets

Abstract

As Open Access continues to gain importance in science policy, understanding the proportion of Open Access publications relative to the total research output of research-performing organizations, individual countries, or even globally has become increasingly relevant. In response, dashboards are being developed to capture and communicate progress in this area. To provide an overview of these dashboards and their characteristics, an extensive survey was conducted, resulting in the identification of nearly 60 dashboards. To support a detailed and structured description, a dedicated metadata schema was developed, and the identified dashboards were systematically indexed accordingly. To foster community engagement and ensure ongoing development, a participatory process was launched, allowing interested stakeholders to contribute to the dataset. The dataset is particularly relevant for researchers in Library and Information Science (LIS) and Science and Technology Studies (STS), supporting both empirical analyses of Open Access and the methodological refinement of indicators and policy instruments in the context of Open Science.

Problem

• Mapping existing Open Access dashboards for global research output analysis
• Developing a metadata schema to systematically index dashboard characteristics
• Creating a participatory dataset for Open Science policy and indicator refinement

Innovation

• Developed a metadata schema for dashboard description
• Systematically indexed nearly 60 identified dashboards
• Launched a participatory process for stakeholder contributions