Transcript Open access publishing: What is it and why is it important?

Mark Toole 25 March 2013
• “the principle that the results of research that has been publicly
funded should be freely accessible in the open domain is a
compelling one” [Finch report]
• 27 out of 31 studies have found open access publications are
more cited than on non open access ones [“The open Access
Citation Advantage: Studies and results to date”, Alma Swan,
2010]
• The UK spends £150m per year on journal subscriptions [Finch
report]. Every year the costs of subscribed journals rise by an
average of 7%.
• Simple Definition: “unrestricted, on-line access to peer-reviewed
and published scholarly research papers” [RCUK]
• 1990s: e-print repositories/ archives
• early 2000s: BioMedCentral & Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• 2002/3: international aspirational statements of intent
Numbers of OA
journals and
articles 19932009 [source
Wikipedia from
article in PLOS
ONE]
• Subscription Based Journals
• “free to publish, library pays subscription” model
• restrictions on access and re-use
• 25,000 peer reviewed journals
• Open Access Journals (“Gold” route)
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“free to view, author pays to publish (through APC)” model
immediately available, few (if any) restrictions on re-use
publisher based
7,600+ peer reviewed journals
“hybrid” journals/ options
• Repositories (“Green” route)
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“access to a version of a paper usually published elsewhere”
often subject to an embargo period
subject based, institutional based, author based
2,000+
• Working Group on Expanding Access to Published Research
Findings
• Set up in 2011 by BIS, HEFCE, RCUK, Publishers Association
• Reported June 2012
• Academics, learned societies, research funders, publishers,
funding councils, senior university management, libraries
• Chaired by Dame Janet Finch
• “clear policy direction”: main vehicle of publication of research
is in open access of hybrid journals, funded by APC
• Research funders: “more effective and flexible arrangements”
to meet costs of open access publishing
• Policies to minimise restrictions on rights of use and re-use
• Transition: funds should be found to extend and rationalise
current subscription licences
• Walk in access in public libraries to “the majority of journals”
• Infrastructure of repositories: focus on access to research data,
grey literature and digital preservation
• Estimated transition costs: £50m-£60m per year (compared to
£5.5b public funding for research per year)
• RCUK, HEFCE, SFC, BIS quickly announced their support
• Debate in the community:
• some learned societies (eg history)
• “green” route advocates
• House of Lords Science and Technology Committee
• HEFCE consulting on role of open access publishing in the post
2014 REF
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6 March 2013, to be reviewed 2014
Effective 1 April 2013
Supports “gold” and “green” but in effect preference for “gold”
Only publish outputs from RCUK funded work in compliant journal:
• “journal provides, via its own website, immediate and unrestricted access to
the final published version of the paper” OR
• “journal consents to deposit of the final Accepted Manuscript in any
repository, without restriction on non-commercial re-use and within a defined
[6 to 12 months] period.
• Payment of APCs and other publication charges related to Research
Council-funded research are supported through RCUK OA block
grants : institutional publication funds are expected to be established
• One of the first UK institutional repositories
• Compliant Green publication route
• With the right publisher permissions
• University “mandate”:
• all journal articles from 2007 must be submitted to STORRE
• Current compliance rate is c. 47%
• New RMS enables easier depositing
Thank You!