Episode 253: Juan Pablo Alperin and John Willinsky on the Public Knowledge Project and Open Journal Systems

Guest Juan Pablo Alperin | John Willinsky Panelist Richard Littauer
Show Notes In this episode of Sustain, host Richard discusses the
importance of maintaining open access to research with guests Juan
Pablo Alperin and John Willinsky from the Public Knowledge Project
(PKP). The conversation covers PKP’s history, the development of
their open-source software, Open Journal Systems (OJS), and its
impact on scholarly publishing. They dive into the integration with
other open-access initiatives, the role of AI in future projects,
and the challenges faced in balancing sustainability with the
rising demands of their growing user base. The episode also touches
on community-driven translations and the importance of creating
equitable access to knowledge, especially for communities in the
global south. Download this episode now! [00:01:20] John explains
PKP’s commitment to open access, starting in 1998 with the goal of
making research publicly available. [00:02:35] Juan describes Open
Journal Systems (OJS) as the flagship open source software of PKP,
which facilitates research publication worldwide. [00:04:57] The
conversation touches on the peer review process, the importance of
making scholarly knowledge open, and how PKP encourages open access
through their platform. [00:07:44] John and Juan explain how OJS
allows academics and institutions to manage the entire publishing
process, from submission to peer review and publication, while
maintaining the integrity of research. [00:11:54] John discusses
the intersection of open source and open access, noting the
successes and challenges that remain in the fight for free and
equitable access to research. [00:13:52] Richard inquires about
where the funding is coming from, and Juan explains. [00:16:49] The
guests highlight how commercial publishers have embraced open
access, though often in ways that perpetuate inequalities, such as
through article processing charges (APCs). [00:21:09] The
discussion touches on sustainability, both in terms of funding PKP
and the broader scholarly ecosystem, and the risks of
commercializing access to knowledge. [00:25:23] Translation and
localization efforts are discussed and how PKP’s platform supports
multiple languages, enabling access to knowledge across diverse
linguistic communities. [00:31:42] The challenges of integrating
non-Western and indigenous knowledge systems into scholarly
publishing is discussed. [00:35:57] Juan and John share the hurdles
PKP faces in terms of keeping up with community demand and ensuring
long-term sustainability. [00:39:41] Find out where you can learn
more about the projects online. Quotes [00:12:20] “This was going
to be Rhetware, that is, it was rhetorical.” [00:13:07] “Open
access is close to 50% of the research in the world that’s
published this year will be freely available to the public and
researchers everywhere.” [00:14:55] “An important part of our
sustainability is that we provide hosting services for the
software.” [00:36:40] "As the community has grown, so have the
demands and expectations of the project.” Spotlight [00:41:07]
Richard’s spotlight is Kawawachikamach, Quebec, [00:41:54] Juan
Pablo’s spotlight is the project, pandas. [00:42:31] John’s
spotlight is Mattermost. Links SustainOSS (https://sustainoss.org/)
podcast@sustainoss.org (mailto:podcast@sustainoss.org)
richard@sustainoss.org (mailto:richard@sustainoss.org) SustainOSS
Discourse (https://discourse.sustainoss.org/) SustainOSS Mastodon
(https://mastodon.social/tags/sustainoss) Open
Collective-SustainOSS (Contribute)
(https://opencollective.com/sustainoss) Richard Littauer Socials
(https://www.burntfen.com/2023-05-30/socials) John Willinsky
LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-willinsky-714a1b241/)
Juan Pablo Alperin Mastodon
(https://mastodon.social/@juancommander) Public Knowledge Project
(PKP) (https://pkp.sfu.ca/) Public Knowledge Project (PKP)
Community Forum (https://forum.pkp.sfu.ca/) Public Knowledge
Project (PKP) GitHub (https://github.com/pkp) Open Journal Systems
(OJS) (https://pkp.sfu.ca/ojs/) Kawawachikamach, Quebec
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawawachikamach,_Quebec) pandas
(https://pandas.pydata.org/) Mattermost (https://mattermost.com/)
Copyright’s Broken Promise: How to Restore the Law’s Ability to
Promote the Progress of Science By John Willinsky
(https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/5507/Copyright-s-Broken-PromiseHow-to-Restore-the-Law-s)
Credits Produced by Richard Littauer (https://www.burntfen.com/)
Edited by Paul M. Bahr at Peachtree Sound
(https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Show notes by DeAnn Bahr
Peachtree Sound (https://www.peachtreesound.com/) Special Guests:
John Willinsky and Juan Pablo Alperin.