Introduction

As of March 2021 , the Directory of OA Journals (DOAJ) lists 8 OA journals: Heart Views by Medknow Publications; Journal of Emergency Medicine, Trauma and Acute Care ; International Review of Law ; Global Cardiology Science & Practice ; Journal of Local and Global Health Perspectives ; QScience Connect and Journal of Local and Global Health Science .

There were 34 research articles published with BioMed Central – an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine), pioneer in the OA publishing model, and among them most viewed articles published by researchers from ASPETAR Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, Medical College in Qatar, Hamad Medical Corporation, Dental Department; and Weill Medical College of Cornell University in Qatar.

In the Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR), Qatar has one repository: QSpace (Qatar University Institutional Repository). It is an open access repository and digital archive comprising Qatar University 's intellectual output. QSpace manages preserves and makes available the academic works of faculty, graduate students, and research centers. The interface is in English and using DSpace software. There is one repository listed in OpenDOAR from Qatar.

Enabling Environment

Qatar is regarded one of the highest Internet penetration in the Middle East with 66.5  per cent, according to the Internet world statistics (2011) the Internet usage in Qatar has grown from 30,000 users in the year 2000 to about 563,800 users in 2011. This implies that the current percentage of Qatar population that now have access to the Internet either from public internet cafes, workplace or their homes is 66.5%.

Al Jazeera , became the first broadcaster in the world to launch a CC-licensed broadcast-quality online footage repository (under CC BY ) in 2009.

Heart Views is a peer-reviewed, Open Access quarterly publication of the Gulf Heart Association and published by Medknow Publications. Hear View is a peer-reviewed Quarterly publication of the Gulf Heart Association. The journal’s full text is available online at www.heartviews.org .

Key organizations

Qatar Foundation Central Library (QFCL) opened in 2013 and it serves as a research, academic, national, and a public library. QFCL, a partner in the multiple-award- winning World Digital Library, helps to make material from cultures around the world available on the Internet in multilingual format. Moreover, QFCL hosted the Heritage Library with an important historical collection that reflects the best in Arabic culture and achievement .

Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals (BQFJ), is owned by Qatar Foundation - an independent, private, non-profit, chartered organization founded in 1995 by decree of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar. It is managed by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc., established in December 2009 and headquartered in Doha. QScience.com is the peer reviewed online publishing platform launched by Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals (BQFJ). In addition to publishing open access research, BQFJ and QScience.com are committed to increasing the quality of research output in Qatar by holding regular workshops on writing, editing and reviewing academic research articles.

Communication address: Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar. Education City, Villa No. 3, PO Box 5825. Tel.: (+974) 4454 2431, Fax: (+974) 44542438; e-mail: info(at)qscience.com

The Supreme Council of Information & Communication Technology is leading many digital initiatives in Qatar.

Communication address: The Supreme Council of Information & Communication Technology (ictQATAR), P.O. Box 23264, Al Nassr Tower, Al Corniche Street, Doha, Qatar, Phone: +974 4499 5333 Fax +974 4493 5913; e-mail : info(at)ict.gov.qa

Creative Commons Qatar is the Qatar affiliate of Creative Commons, a non-profit organization committed to realizing the full potential of the Internet. Creative Commons develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical tools that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation. ictQATAR signed a memorandum of understanding with Creative Commons to bring an official affiliate to Qatar. ictQATAR will lead the affiliate initially and will engage organizations and individuals in the efforts to build a vibrant Creative Commons community in Qatar.

Events and Programs

• 1 – 5 March 2015: Introduction to Open Access and Open Knowledge – UCL Qatar Short Course, held in UCL Doha, Qatar

• This course provided a hands-on introduction to Open Access and other types of open knowledge within the context of cultural heritage institutions — libraries, archives, and museums. The focus was on Open Access to research. The course also included an introduction to other types of open content such as open data. The course included hands-on activities and exercises designed to give participants a feel for the types of issues professionals who work with open knowledge face on a daily basis.

• International Open Access Week celebrations:
  • Open a GLAM Lab A Gallery, Library, Archive and Museum Lab October 30, 2019 from 10am to 11:30am Qatar Organized by Milena Dobreva | Type: book, launch

  • Designing Equitable Foundations for Open Knowledge: The Role of the National Library October 28, 2018 from 9am to 12pm Qatar Organized by Qatar National Library | Type: public, lecture

  • Paywall: The Business of Scholarship (Film Screening) October 24, 2018 from 6:30pm to 8pm Qatar Organized by Qatar National Library | Type: public, film, screening

  • Open Access Week Workshop: Increasing the Visibility of National Research Outputs October 23, 2018 from 9am to 12pm Qatar Organized by Qatar National Library | Type: public, workshop

  • Marketing Campaigns for Promoting Open Access in Academic Libraries and Museums October 22, 2018 from 8:30am to 12:30pm Qatar Organized by UCL Qatar, Qatar University Library | Type: practical, workshop

  • Perspectives on Open access October 29, 2017 from 3pm to 6pm Qatar Organized by Milena Dobreva | Type: roundtable

  • Explore The World of Open Access October 24, 2017 from 8:30am to 1:30pm Qatar Organized by Qatar National Library | Type: workshop

  • Discover Open Access with QScience.com - OA Week Qatar October 22, 2014 from 9am to 4:30pm Qatar Organized by Qscience.com | Type: symposium

  • 22 October 2014 : " Discover Open Access with QScience.com- OA Week Qatar " held in Doha, Qatar:

  • Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals’ QScience.com online publishing platform participated in the International Open Access Week, which enables the academic and research community to learn about the potential benefits of Open Access (OA).

  • The global event took place at Hamad bin Khalifa University Student Centre and saw representatives from Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID), Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, and Arab Initiatives of Open Access (AIOA) outline the benefits of OA publishing and its potential expansion in the Middle East.

  • Representatives from QScience.com addressed the possibility of providing more open access repositories as well as free, unrestricted online access to peer-reviewed research for regional authors and researchers.

  • Participants were also given the opportunity to show manuscripts and seek guidance from the QScience.com editorial team on the peer review, revision, acceptance and publication process.

  • 25-27 March, 2014 : Enhancing the Digital Knowledge Society's Information Needs ; Doha, Qatar.

  • On 23 October 2010 , ictQATAR and Creative Commons successfully hosted the “Digitally Open” summit and Open Access Forum and the second CC Arab world regional meeting in Doha. The forum discussed how innovation can thrive in the digital age through sharing and openness. The event witnessed also a regional meeting for Creative Commons Arab World.

• 10-11 June, 2013: Qatar hosted the First Regional International Federation of Library Associations ( IFLA) Conference in the Arab region. It was organized in cooperation with the Arab Federation for Libraries and Information (AFLI) and the Public Libraries Department of Qatar Ministry of Culture, Arts, and Heritage. The conference covered discussions on topics such as the improvement of current Qatar copyright laws to instill free use policies for libraries, digital content protection in libraries based in the Arab world, need for institutional OA repositories in the Arab world etc.

• On 24- 25 September, 2011 at Doha, ictQATAR and Creative Commons organized a workshop on Open Source Development . The participants will receive a general overview of how open source works in development, including case studies of innovations in the field, then will engage in hands-on coding and development sessions that will result in a collaborative open source project. The Open Source Developers Workshop will be facilitated by Aiki Lab, a Singaporean company created to work globally to create technology.

Publications

• Dallmeier-Tiessen, S., R. Darby, B. Goerner, J. Hyppoelae, P. Igo-Kemenes, D. Kahn, S. Lambert, A. Lengenfelder, C. Leonard, S. Mele, M. Nowicka, P. Polydoratou, D. Ross, S. Ruiz-Perez, R. Schimmer, M. Swaisland, and W. Van Der Stelt. 2011. “Open Access Journals - What Publishers Offer, What Researchers Want.” Information Services and Use 31(1–2):85–91. doi: 10.3233/ISU-2011-0624 .

• Edwards, A. M., C. Bountra, D. J. Kerr, and T. M. Willson. 2009. “Open Access Chemical and Clinical Probes to Support Drug Discovery.” Nature Chemical Biology 5(7):436–40. doi: 10.1038/nchembio0709-436 .

• Houck, M. M., G. Horsman, G. Sauzier, and M. Bidmos. 2019. “What Is Open-Access Publishing and What It Means for the Forensic Enterprise.” Forensic Science International: Synergy 1:290–93. doi: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2019.06.045 .

• Houck, M. M., G. Horsman, G. Sauzier, and M. Bidmos. 2020. “Erratum to ‘What Is Open-Access Publishing and What It Means for the Forensic Enterprise’ [Forensic Sci. Int.: Synergy (2019) 290–293] (Forensic Science International: Synergy (2019) 1 (290–293), (S2589871X19301299), (10.1016/j.Fsisyn.2019.06.045)).” Forensic Science International: Synergy 2:708. doi: 10.1016/j.fsisyn.2020.04.002 .

• Iddriss, Z., and A. Al Sarraj. 2019. “Exploring Trends in Open Access Repositories: The Case of Higher Education Institutions in Nigeria, Ghana, Cabo Verde, and Senegal.” Pp. 366–67 in Proceedings of the ACM/IEEE Joint Conference on Digital Libraries . Vols. 2019-June.

• Kirshbaum, M. N., J. Dent, J. Stephenson, A. E. Topping, V. Allinson, M. McCoy, and S. Brayford. 2017. “Open Access Follow-up Care for Early Breast Cancer: A Randomised Controlled Quality of Life Analysis.” European Journal of Cancer Care 26(4). doi: 10.1111/ecc.12577 .

• Radaydeh, R. M., A. Zafar, F. S. Al-Qahtani, and M. S. Alouini. 2016. “Improved Interference-Free Channel Allocation in Coordinated Multiuser Multiantenna Open-Access Small Cells.” IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology 65(12):9994–10010. doi: 10.1109/TVT.2016.2530685 .

• Schlueter, R. A., S. Liu, and N. Alemadi. 2001. “Preventive and Corrective Open Access System Dispatch Based on the Voltage Stability Security Assessment and Diagnosis.” Electric Power Systems Research 60(1):17–28. doi: 10.1016/S0378-7796(01)00160-2 .