How journal submission and hosting systems influence the level of open metadata in Crossref

Bianca Kramer; Hans de Jonge; Kornelia Korzec

doi:10.7557/5.8317

Authors

Bianca Kramer Sesame Open Science / Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5965-6560
Hans de Jonge Dutch Research Council https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1189-9133
Kornelia Korzec Crossref https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4632-5228

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/5.8317

Keywords:

open metadata, Crossref, submission systems, publishers

Abstract

(Watch the RECORDING.)

The importance of open research information, including publication metadata, is widely recognised. Crossref is an important infrastructure for registering open metadata as part of DOI registration. However, the metadata of many publications in Crossref is far from complete, with many publishers making certain metadata elements openly available, but failing to do so for other metadata elements.

Publishers' ability to register this metadata with Crossref depends on their capacity to capture and retain this data in their production workflows. Submission systems seem to be an important, yet largely overlooked, factor in the extent to which publishers make metadata available through Crossref.

In this presentation, we present the results of a large-scale analysis investigating the correlation between the level of metadata that publishers deposit with Crossref and the submission and hosting systems that they deploy for their journals.

We look at the 150 publishers with the largest amounts of publications in Crossref in recent years, and concentrate on commonly used systems, including Editorial Manager, ScholarOne, Open Journal Systems (OJS), and eJournalPress. Information on submission and hosting systems is validated through a survey sent out to the 150 publishers in scope of this analysis.

We will show that some submission systems appear better suited to capturing certain metadata elements. However, there are always cases where publishers using the same system differ widely in the level of metadata they register, suggesting that technology is not the only prohibiting factor, but that other considerations, probably commercial, are at play.

Author Biographies

Bianca Kramer, Sesame Open Science / Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information

After having worked s scholarly communication/open science librarian at Utrecht University Library for 15 years, in 2022 Bianca Kramer moved to independent consulting/research analyst role at Sesame Open Science, with a focus on open science, open metadata and open infrastructure. Since February 2025, she also is Executive Director of the Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information.
Hans de Jonge, Dutch Research Council

Hans de Jonge is director of Open Science NL, part of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). Open Science NL is the national (funding) program for Open Science in the Netherlands. Hans has worked at NWO overseeing its Open Science policies since 2018. Before working at NWO Hans worked as program manager at the academic affairs unit of Utrecht University and at the Dutch Association of Universities (VSNU) where he headed the research policy unit. Hans is a historian by training and specialised in the history of science.
Kornelia Korzec, Crossref

Kora joined Crossref in 2022 to ensure a community-centred approach across all communications. She previously worked at eLife, mobilising researchers to advocate for greater adoption of open science. Prior to that, Kora headed engagement at Engineering Without Borders UK, an international development charity, and before that – she designed behaviour-change campaigns for waste minimisation with local authorities in Cambridgeshire.