title: Exploring Possibilities for Transforming Established Subscription-based Scientific Journals into Open Access Journals. Present Situation, Transformation Criteria, and Exemplary Implementation within Trans-O-MIM.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Based on today's information and communication technologies the open access paradigm has become an important approach for adequately communicating new scientific knowledge.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Summarizing the present situation for journal transformation. Presenting criteria for adequate transformation as well as a specific approach for it. Describing our exemplary implementation of such a journal transformation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Studying the respective literature as well as discussing this topic in various discussion groups and meetings (primarily of editors and publishers, but also of authors and readers), with long term experience as editors and /or publishers of scientific publications as prerequisite.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There is a clear will, particularly of political and funding organizations, towards open access publishing. In spite of this, there is still a large amount of scientific knowledge, being communicated through subscription-based journals. For successfully transforming such journals into open access, sixteen criteria for a goal-oriented, stepwise, sustainable, and fair transformation are suggested. The Tandem Model as transformation approach is introduced. Our exemplary implementation is done in the Trans-O-MIM project. It is exploring strategies, models and evaluation metrics for journal transformation. As instance the journal Methods of Information in Medicine will apply the Tandem Model from 2017 onwards.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within Trans-O-MIM we will reach at least nine of the sixteen criteria for adequate transformation. It was positive to implement Trans-O-MIM as international research project. After first steps for transforming Methods have successfully been made, challenges will remain, among others, in identifying appropriate incentives for open access publishing in order to support its transformation.
authors.affiliation: Prof. Dr. Reinhold Haux, Peter L. Reichertz Institute for Medical Informatics, University of Braunschweig - Institute of Technology and Hannover Medical School, Muehlenpfordtstr. 23, 38106 Braunschweig, Germany, E-mail: reinhold.haux@plri.de.
authors.forename: Reinhold
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haux
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuballa
authors.forename: Mareike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Böhm
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Gefeller
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haaf
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Henning
authors.forename: Corinna
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mielke
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Niggemann
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schürg
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bergemann
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D008490:Medical Informatics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D012586:Science
keywords: Scientific journals; journal conversion; journal flipping; journal transformation; journal transition; open access; subscription