Open Source Platforms as a Foundation for Open Science

Abstract

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At this time of rapid advancements in scholarly communication, publishers must increasingly find new ways to respond and adapt to researcher needs. However current technological infrastructure in the industry is not built to be agile or easily customizable. We must look beyond the inflexible, restrictive, and costly technology silos we currently have, evaluate our workflows, and learn from other industries to pursue community-owned, collaborative solutions. How can open source technology equip us in our pursuit of efficient, sustainable publishing that can evolve with research communication practices? Can we aggregate and share the cost of building core tools, refocusing our technology investments instead into the customizations and enhancements needed to befit researcher requirements, all in the framework of open source? In this presentation we will outline the significance of open source infrastructure to Hindawi’s mission and vision, and the importance of partnering with like-minded organizations to drive change for the industry. We will present the work that Hindawi has undertaken in collaboration with the Coko Foundation, eLife, and the University of California Press to evolve xPub—a modular open source architecture, configurable in a variety of arrangements to provide a host of workflow solutions for publishers—and consider the impact that the adoption and integration of xPub can have for publishers, societies, and institutions worldwide.