Data set - Measured in a context : making sense of open access book data

For more than a decade, open access book platforms have been distributing titles in order to maximise their impact. Each platform offers some form of usage data, showcasing the success of their offering. However, the numbers alone are not sufficient to convey how well a book is actually performing. Our data set is consists of 18,014 books and chapters. The selected titles have been added to the OAPEN Library collection before 1 January 2022, and the usage data of twelve months (January to December 2022) has been captured. During that period, this collection of books and chapters has been downloaded more than 10 million times. Each title has been linked to one broad subject and the title’s language has been coded as either English, German or other languages. The titles are rated using the TOANI score. The acronym stands for Transparent Open Access Normalised Index. The transparency is based on the application of clear regulations, and by making all data used visible. The data is normalised, by using a common scale for the complete collection of an open access book platform. Additionally, there are only three possible values to score the titles: average, less than average and more than average. This index is set up to provide a clear and simple answer to the question whether an open access book has made an impact. It is not meant to give a sense of false accuracy; the complexities surrounding this issue cannot be measured in several decimal places. The TOANI score is based on the following principles: Select only titles that have been available for at least 12 months; Use the usage data of the same 12 months period for the whole collection; Each title is assigned one – high level – subject; Each title is assigned one language; All titles are grouped based on subject and language; The groups should consists of at least 100 titles; The following data must be made available for each title: Platform Total number of titles in the group Subject Language Period used for the measurement Minimum value, maximum value, median, first and third quartile of the platform’s usage data Based on the previous, titles are classified as: “Less than average” – First quartile; 25 % of the titles “Average” – Second and third quartile; 50% of the titles “More than average” – Fourth quartile; 25 % of the titles十余年来，开放获取（Open Access）图书平台一直通过分发图书作品以最大化其影响力。各平台均会提供相应形式的使用数据，以展示其服务成效。但仅靠数字本身，不足以完整呈现一部图书的实际运营表现。 本数据集共包含18014种图书及章节内容。入选作品均于2022年1月1日前纳入OAPEN图书馆馆藏，并采集了2022年1月至12月共12个月的使用数据。在此期间，该馆藏图书及章节的总下载量已突破1000万次。 每部作品均关联一个宽泛的学科类目，且其语言已被编码为英语、德语或其他语言三类。所有作品均通过TOANI指数（Transparent Open Access Normalised Index，透明开放获取标准化指数）进行评分。 该指数的透明度基于清晰规范的应用原则，并公开所有使用的原始数据；通过为某一开放获取图书平台的全部馆藏设定统一的标准化标尺，实现数据归一化处理。该评分仅设三类结果：低于平均水平、平均水平、高于平均水平。 设立该指数旨在为“开放获取图书是否产生了影响力”这一问题提供清晰简洁的解答，而非营造虚假的精准性——该领域的复杂内涵无法通过小数位精度来衡量。 TOANI指数的评分原则如下： 1. 仅纳入已上线至少12个月的作品； 2. 对全部馆藏统一采用同一12个月周期的使用数据； 3. 为每部作品分配一个一级学科类目； 4. 为每部作品标注其语言属性； 5. 按学科与语言对所有作品进行分组； 6. 每组作品数量不得少于100部； 7. 需为每部作品公开以下数据：平台名称、组内总作品数、学科、语言、测量周期、平台使用数据的最小值、最大值、中位数、第一四分位数与第三四分位数。 基于上述标准，作品被划分为三类： - "低于平均水平"：位于第一四分位数区间，占总作品数的25%； - "平均水平"：位于第二、第三四分位数区间，占总作品数的50%； - "高于平均水平"：位于第四四分位数区间，占总作品数的25%。