The Journal Checker Tool (JCT) is a web-based tool which provides guidance to researchers on how to align with their funder’s Plan S-compliant Open Access policy when seeking to publish in the journal of their choice.
Who is the Journal Checker Tool for ?
The JCT is designed to support all researchers funded by a cOAlition S member by helping them to find Plan S compliant “routes”to publish their research articles in open access.
How does it work?
Plan S allows three routes to compliance:
- through fully open access venues
- through self-archiving
- through transformative arrangements
Researchers first enter the name of their funder, the institution they are affiliated with, and the journal to which they plan to submit an article. The tool then checks if this combination can offer any route to Plan S compliance by simultaneously checking the following options:
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Is the journal fully open access and in line with Plan S?
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Is the journal included within a transformative agreement subscribed to by that particular institution?
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Is it a transformative journal?
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Is self-archiving an available option, either via the publishers self-archiving policy or via the cOAlition S Rights Retention Strategy?
Based on the combination of data they have entered, researchers will be shown all the available routes that enable compliance on the results page. When multiple routes to compliance are available, it is up to researchers to choose which route to follow.
When no route to compliance is available, the JCT provides suggestions on how to edit the search to find a compliance-enabling combination.
Who developed the JCT?
The JCT was developed by Cottage Labs, in partnership with Antleaf consultancy, with the data providers Shareyourpaper.org Permissions and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
