Open access: In support of research
Paul Ayris (March 2011)
A briefing paper outlining the benefits of open access, suggesting advocacy strategies and citing examples of already existing best practice.
The paper first promotes open access as a publication method that can increase the visibility of a researcher’s work (citing the fact that Google and other Internet search engines index open access items) and as a method that can bring considerable cost savings and other economic benefits (as per a report by John Houghton).
There follows a definition of Green route open access (where copies of peer-reviewed outputs are made freely available on the web using an open access repository, alongside published versions). The paper suggests that alongside creating the repository, institutions need to advocate and educate about the use of the repository. The agreement of an institutional mandate to deposit all research outputs in a repository is highlighted as a “bold” step and “a real sign of success”. It is also suggested that institutions further consider storing primary data in repositories.
Next, a discussion of Gold open access (free at the point of access journals with a business model reliant on research creators funding publication costs through publication charges, or on subsidy). The paper suggests universities should consider allocating funds to pay for gold open access while the research community may need to convince funders that investments are needed to make meaningful changes to the scholarly communication system.
Best practice is highlighted with reference to UCL’s adoption of an institutional mandate for all research outputs (copyright permitting) to be deposited in the UCL repository, the appointment of UCL’s Director of Library Services as a copyright officer and the teaching of basic lessons about copyright issues to graduate students.
The University of Nottingham is also cited as an example, with reference to the establishment of its open access publishing fund, which is available to any member of staff who wishes to make research outputs freely and openly accessible.
Finally, the paper highlights the support universities can get relating to Open Access from groups such as the Wellcome Trust, SPARC Europe and Enabling Open Scholarship (EOS).
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