Untangling the future of diamond access: discussing quality standards for the re-communalization of scholarly publishing

This paper examines the future of Diamond Open Access as a non-commercial, community-driven model for scholarly publishing that challenges the growing marketization of research dissemination. Drawing on recent initiatives such as DIAMAS, Craft-OA, and the Diamond Future project, it analyzes tensions between academic autonomy and the heteronomy imposed by commercial publishers. The study reviews existing definitions and standards for diamond journals, highlighting efforts in Europe and Latin America to establish common criteria for quality, sustainability, and visibility. It emphasizes the need to move beyond universal rankings and impact factors toward context-sensitive, federated indexing systems—such as Latindex, SciELO, Redalyc, Biblat, and DOAJ—that reflect the diversity of academic communities. The paper argues for a re-communalization of scholarly publishing through institutional support, reliable indexation, and recognition of multi-indexed journals as legitimate indicators of quality. Ultimately, it proposes reclaiming academic control from corporate infrastructures by reinforcing autonomy, multilingualism, and bibliodiversity in global research evaluation and publication practices. Funding detail: Berlin University Alliance - Visiting fellow 2025