Tektonika: The Community-Led Diamond Open-Access Journal for Tectonics and Structural Geology

Abstract

Knowledge (b)locking impedes scientific breakthroughs and hinders societal development. Historically, the privileged and paid access to scholarly work has held captive the advancement of numerous brilliant minds and their ideas. The Tektonika initiative was born to remedy the unfairness of the current publishing scene by offering the community a platform where tectonics and structural geology research are freely and openly accessible to everyone. As part of a growing movement within academia, Tektonika provides an alternative to conventional publishing models that restrict access to scholarly work through costly paywalls and subscriptions. In this editorial, we explain why and how Tektonika exists, the structure of the journal, and how it is run a year after its launch. We also detail our peer-review process from manuscript submission to publication, and report on some of the challenges faced. We close by presenting our plan and ideas to sustain a community-led inclusive and equitable publishing landscape that secures a free-to-all access to Earth Science research over the long term.