Ananya Mallik (she/her) is an experimental petrologist. She completed her BSc and MSc from Jadavpur University, India and her PhD from Rice University, USA. She did her postdoc at Bavarian Institute of Experimental Mineralogy and Petrology in Bayreuth, Germany as an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow followed by a brief postdoc at Brown University, USA. Ananya is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arizona. She primarily uses laboratory experiments that simulate planetary interiors to address outstanding research questions about planetary differentiation, but also integrates sample analyses and modelling in her research. Ananya investigates how the interactions between the interior and surface of the Earth and planetary bodies (including the Moon) evolve the chemistry and dynamics of these reservoirs. Here at AGC Ananya is an Editor for Reviews and Special Editions, high T geochemistry.
What is the main issue arising from current publishing schemes (i.e., non-diamond open access)?
I would use the analogy of milking a cow and everyone benefits except the cow. We the community, do everything, all the hard work to complete the science, then submit work, review, edit (most of this voluntary) and all gatekeeping to make sure that the science is of the best quality. Then we have to pay to access our own work. This is unfair. This is the only situation when people don’t get royalty from their publishing. It’s time to take back control and be in charge without third parties reaping all benefits.
What is the main benefit of diamond open access (DOA)?
Some of the existing journals, with big name from major publishing houses, have open access options. However, this usually needs to be paid for by the authors and the third parties then benefit financially. DOA however, keeps everything in community without a third party reaping benefits.
The science should be accessible for everyone.
What was your main motivation to join AGC?
I would like to be part of a community driven effort to produce the science, right up to post publishing to make sure it’s all accessible for everyone.
We are the ones that are doing the hard work.
Paying from science money is hard.
The scientists should have more control.
Have you previously published in any other Diamond Open Access journal? If the answer is no, can you specify why not?
No actually, not yet. In the geochemistry community there are no other similar journals. Geochemical Perspective Letters is similar, but my publications have not fitted well with this journal. To publish in non-DOA, I would need to publish open access by paying from my own grant money, and that’s super expensive. What good comes out of giving this money to the third parties? Pre-prints are something which I have done in the past to honour grant agreements.
Why do you think that other researchers, early-, mid- and late-career researchers, should contribute to AGC and submit their scientific work to the journal?
Since we are all part of this community we should all play a role in making the publishing scheme the way we want to. Let's hope that DOA becomes the norm in the future.
For early career researchers it is a gamble [but] it’s a community effort.
Early career researchers would be publishing in unknown journal. Should late career people drive initial interest?
In some ways it makes sense that the established career people should be publishing in DOA journals at the start to help build up the credibility of and confidence in the journal. Perhaps a balance is required. Later in my own career I expect to migrate closer towards DOA once fully established. Very ECR people often have established PI as co-authors, therefore these other authors can help advertise publications, wherever they are published. The responsibility lies with the mid-late career people to help get DOA and our new journal off the ground. However, everyone at any career stage has a part to play.
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