Open%
access
:%comm
on%goo
d%or%un
commo
n%dang
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An#Ac
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ic#Persp
ec.ve
Profe
ssor#Step
hen#C
urry###
UHMLG#Open#A
ccess#Forum
#
28th#Feb#2
014
occamstypewriter.org/scurry/
Who#am#I?
“the#world’s#most#generousMminded#
and#amiable#OA#advocate”#Richard#Poynder,#Dec#2013
Academic#Journals#were#a#great#idea…
…but#the#web#changes#everything
!4
Anarchy#Policy#in#the#UK#M#2012
Dame%Janet%Finch:%
“The#principle#that#the#results#of#research#that#has#
been#publicly%funded#should#be#freely#accessible#in#the#public#domain#is#a#compelling#one,#and#
fundamentally%unanswerable.”
Rt%Hon%David%Wille@s%MP:%
The#“funding#model#is#surely#going#to#have#to#
change#even#beyond#the#welcome#transi.on#to#
open#access#and#hybrid#journals#that’s#already#
underway.#To%try%to%preserve%the%old%model%is%the%wrong%ba@le%to%fight.”
What#is#Open#Access?
Budapest%DeclaraFon,%2002%%“free#availability#on#the#public#internet,#permiYng#any#users#to#read,#download,#
copy,#distribute,#print,#search,#or#link#to#the#full#texts#of#these#ar.cles,#crawl#them#
for#indexing,#pass#them#as#data#to#so\ware…”
h]p://www.opensocietyfounda.ons.org/openaccess/
Gold%OA:%%Immediate#availability#via#the#journal#(OA#or#'hybrid')#
May#require#an#ar.cle#processing#charge#(APC)#
!Green%OA:%#Available#via#a#repository#(ins.tu.on#or#subjectMbased)#
Author's#peerMreviewed#version#(or#preMprint)#
May#require#a#delay#(embargo#period)
GraFs%OA:%%Free#online#access#
!!Libre%OA:%#Free#online#access#with#some#addi.onal#
usage#rights#(e.g.#reproduc.on,#text#mining#—#licenseMdependent)$
Open#Access#is:#‣ a#natural#consequence#of#the#internet#
‣ good#for#research#
faster#exchange#of#ideas#
fosters#interMdisciplinarity#
enables#text#mining#
stronger#sense#of#community#ownership#
‣ good#for#the#taxpayer#
be]er#cost#control#(eventually)#
access#to#the#research#they#paid#for#
changes#dynamic#of#public#engagement#
‣ affec.ng#&#affected#by#many#aspects#of#academic#life…
Open#Access#is#not:#‣ free#(or#the#same#as#‘fileMsharing’)#
‣ the#end#of#peer#review#or#synonymous#with#low#quality#
‣ easy
The#rela.onship#of#academics#with#Open#Access
Why#are#we#not#there#yet?
Funder#&#Govt#Policies#
‣ Too#meek#(preM2012).#Policy#but#li]le#enforcement#
‣ Confusion?#GoldFinch#but#not#GreenFinch?#
‣ New$(revised)#RCUK#policy#(April#1st,#2013):#‣ Prefers#gold#(and#CCMBY)#but#permits#green#‣ Embargoes#extended#for#5Myear#transi.on#(6,#12,#24#mo)#
‣ Block#grant#funding##
‣ 5#yr#rollMout#to#include#review#&#flexibility:#a#‘journey'#
‣ HEFCE#&#REF#2020
h]p://blogs.rcuk.ac.uk/2012/09/28/rcukMopenMaccessMpolicyMwhenMtoMgoMgreenMandMwhenMtoMgoMgold/
House#of#Lords#Select#Commi]ee#Report#(Feb#2013)
h]p://www.parliament.uk/business/commi]ees/commi]eesMaMz/lordsMselect/scienceMandMtechnologyMcommi]ee/news/openMaccessMreportMpublished/
House#of#Commons#Select#Commi]ee#Report#(Sept#2013)
h]p://www.parliament.uk/business/commi]ees/commi]eesMaMz/commonsMselect/businessMinnova.onMandMskills/news/onMpublMopenMaccess/
Ques.ons#about#
hybrid#OA
Opposi.on#of#some#publishers#‣worried#about#‘sustainability’#(aka#profits*)#‣ Elsevier:#36%#(£724m/£2,000m)#
‣ Springer:#34%#(£294m/£866m)#
‣ John#Wiley#&#Sons:#42%#($106m/$253m)#
‣ Informa#plc:#32%#(£47m/£145m)#
‣NB:#Hindawi:#52%**#($3.3m/$6.3m)#
‣Are#these#reasonable#given#the#input#from#researchers?#
‣Hybrid#OA#is#expensive#&#problema.c:##
‣ publishers#need#to#show#clearly#there’s#no#doubleMdipping#‣ avoid#unless#there#is#a#pathway#to#flipping#journal#to#OA
Why#are#we#not#there#yet?
*Figures#for#2010.#Source#—#h]p://poe.ceconomics.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/enormousMprofitsMofMstmMscholarly.html#
**h]p://scholarlyoa.com/2013/04/04/hindawisMprofitsMareMlargerMthanMelseviers/
�13
We’re#s.ll#working#this#stuff#out#
‣OA#journals#work:#e.g.$PLOS,#BMC#
‣ Innova.on:##‣ eLife#‣ PeerJ#‣ Fron.ers#‣ Need#a#shakeMup#to#allow#market#penetra.on#by#
new#.tles#(see#later)
Why#are#we#not#there#yet?
We’re#s.ll#working#this#stuff#out#
‣ The#Open#Access#Bu]on#
Why#are#we#not#there#yet?
h]ps://www.openaccessbu]on.org
Researchers#are#illMinformed#and#conserva.ve#
‣too#few#aware#of:#‣ subscrip.on#costs##‣ how#OA#works#‣ benefits#of#OA#‣ (Librarians#can#help#here!)
�15
Why#are#we#not#there#yet?
‣confusion#in#universi.es#about#their#public#du.es?#‣ undermined#by#student#fee#increases?##
‣ obliga.ons#to#taxpayers#‣ how#are#these#balanced#against#academic#freedom?
�16
Why#are#we#not#there#yet?
Concerns#of#learned#socie.es#
‣loss#of#valuable#income?
h]p://blogs.law.harvard.edu/pamphlet/2013/01/29/whyMopenMaccessMisMbe]erMforMscholarlyMsocie.es/
Stuart#Shieber
h]p://openMaccess.org.uk/informa.onMandMguidance/guideMtoMgoldoa/
Researchers#fear#damage#to#established#models#
‣varia.on#between#humani.es#and#sciences##
‣ different#rela.onships#with#their#published#work#‣varia.on#between#the#sciences#
‣ Physics#arΧiv#vs#bioRΧiv#‣suspicious#of#the#web#‣addicted#to#impact#factors#
�17
Why#are#we#not#there#yet?
Image:%h]p://associate.com/photos/BibleMPicturesMM1897MWMAMFoster/pageM0069M1.jpg
occamstypewriter.org/scurry
To#realise#the#vision#of#OA,#we#need#to#replace#the#apparatus#of#the#Impact#factor#
�18
"affirms$the$principle$that$it$is$the$intrinsic$merit$of$the$work,$and$not$the$:tle$of$the$journal$in$which$an$author’s$work$is$published,$that$should$be$considered$in$making$funding$decisions."
"when$assessing$proposals$for$research$funding$RCUK$considers$that$it$is$the$quality$of$the$research$proposed$and$not$where$an$author$has$published…$that$is$of$paramount$importance."
April$8,$2013
To#realise#the#vision#of#OA,#we#need#to#replace#the#apparatus#of#the#Impact#factor#
Vale,#R.#D.#(2012)#Mol$Biol$Cell$23,#3285–3289.
Lawrence,#P.#A.#(2007)#Curr.$Biol.#17,#R583–5.
Samuel#Reich,#E.#(2013)#Nature#502,#291M3.
Print sub/OA online
Online only (no APC)Online only (APC)
The inexorable rise of Open Access
World: 17% Gold OA
UK: 35% Green OAUK: 5% Gold OA
Remaining#Challenges
‣ GeVng%the%message%out%to#academics##
‣ Agreement#on#the#principles#of#OA#‣ OA#mechanisms#that#work#for#all%fields#
‣ APC#payment#mechanisms#that#are#fair%and%visible%to%researchers%‣ Remove#support#for#hybrid%OA?%
‣ Disavowal#of#Impact#Factors%‣ Compliance%enforcement%from#funders#and#ins.tu.ons#
‣ Market%innovaFons%(from#new#&#est.#publishers)#—#level#playing#field#
‣ Established#publishers#need#to#earn%back%trust%—#transparency#&#generosity%‣ Dura.on#&#cost#of#transi.on?#(When#will#subs%money#be#released?)#‣ InternaFonal%cooperaFon%on#OA#policy
Ques.ons?
"It's#the#end#of#the#world#as#we#know#it#(And#I#feel#fine)”#Michael#S.pe,#REM