Slides from a presentation given at Queen's University Belfast on 21st Oct 2013. Video of talk available here: http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/InformationServices/TheLibrary/OpenAccesstoQueensResearch/OpenAccessColloquium/

1. Open%Access%policy%in%the%UK:
a%turbulent%voyage
Professor'Stephen'Curry''
Imperial'College
Queen’s'University,'Belfast
21st'Oct'2013

2. Academic'Journals'were'a'great'idea…
2

3. …but'the'web'changes'everything
3

4. More'webIbased'changes…
occamstypewriter.org/scurry/
Warning:'amateur'at'work
4

5. A'wakeIup'call:'The'Research'Works'Act'(USA)'
"No$Federal$agency$may$engage$in$any$policy$that:
causes$network$dissemina9on$of$any$private(sector,
research,work,without,the,prior,consent,of,the,publisher,
of$such$work"
Sponsors:'Reps'Carolyn'Maloney'(DINY)'and'Darrell'Issa'(RICA)'I'and$publishers?
‣ 'their'content'?'
‣ surprise'at'subscripWon'costs'&'publisher'profits
‣ amateur'vs'commercial'tensions'
5

6. Anarchy'Policy'in'the'UK'I'2012
Rt%Hon%David%WilleCs%MP:
The'“funding'model'is'surely'going'to'have'to'
change'even'beyond'the'welcome'transiWon'to'
open'access'and'hybrid'journals'that’s'already'
underway.'To%try%to%preserve%the%old%model%is%the%
wrong%baCle%to%fight.”
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.”
6

7. What'is'Open'Access?
Budapest%DeclaraIon,%2002%
"free'availability'on'the'public'internet,'permiang'any'users'to'read,'download,'
copy,'distribute,'print,'search,'or'link'to'the'full'texts'of'these'arWcles,'crawl'
them'for'indexing,'pass'them'as'data'to'socware…"
GraIs%OA:%
Free'online'access
Gold%OA:%
Immediate'availability'via'the'journal'(OA'or''hybrid')
May'require'an'arWcle'processing'charge'(APC)
Libre%OA:%
Free'online'access'with'some'addiWonal'
usage'rights'(e.g.'reproducWon,'text'
mining'—'licenseIdependent)
Green%OA:%
Available'via'a'repository'(insWtuWon'or'subjectIbased)
Author's'peerIreviewed'version'(or'preIprint)
May'require'a'delay'(embargo'period)
hdp://www.opensocietyfoundaWons.org/openaccess/

8. Open'Access'is:
‣
‣
an'inevitable'consequence'of'the'internet
good'for'research
faster'exchange'of'ideas
fosters'interIdisciplinarity
enables'text'mining
stronger'sense'of'community'ownership
‣
good'for'the'taxpayer
beder'cost'control'(eventually)
access'to'the'research'they'paid'for
changes'dynamic'of'public'engagement
‣
affecWng'&'affected'by'many'aspect'of'academic'life…
Open'Access'is'not:
‣
‣
free'(or'the'same'as''fileIsharing')
the'end'of'peer'review'or'synonymous'with'low'quality

9. The'relaWonship'of'academics'with'Open'Access
9

10. Why'are'we'not'there'yet?
Funder'&'Govt'Policies
‣
Too'meek'(preI2012).'Policy'but'lidle'enforcement
‣
Confusion?'GoldFinch'but'not'GreenFinch?
‣
New,(revised)'RCUK'policy'(April'1st,'2013):
‣
‣
‣
‣
‣
Prefers'gold'(and'CCIBY)'but'green'allowed
Embargoes'extended'for'5Iyear'transiWon'(6,'12,'24'mo)
Block'grant'funding'
5'yr'rollIout'to'include'review'&'flexibility:'a''journey'
Role'of'HEFCE?'(Ben'Johnson)
hdp://blogs.rcuk.ac.uk/2012/09/28/rcukIopenIaccessIpolicyIwhenItoIgoIgreenIandIwhenItoIgoIgold/
10

11. House'of'Lords'Select'Commidee'Report'(Feb'2013)
11
hdp://www.parliament.uk/business/commidees/commideesIaIz/lordsIselect/scienceIandItechnologyIcommidee/news/openIaccessIreportIpublished/

12. House'of'Commons'Select'Commidee'Report'(Sept'2013)
QuesWons'about'
hybrid'OA
12
hdp://www.parliament.uk/business/commidees/commideesIaIz/commonsIselect/businessIinnovaWonIandIskills/news/onIpublIopenIaccess/

13. Why'are'we'not'there'yet?
OpposiWon'of'some'publishers
‣ worried'about'‘sustainability’'(aka'profits)
Others'are'more'forwardIthinking
‣ OA'journals'work:'e.g.$PLOS,'BMC
‣ InnovaWon'I'eLife,'PeerJ,'FronWers
‣ See'also'the'Open'Access'Budon'(David'Carroll)
‣ Market'in'need'of'a'shakeIup
13

14. The'Bohannon'‘sWng’'(Science,'Oct'2013)
14

15. Responses'to'the'sWng
Stuart'Shieber'(Harvard'University)
Sal'Robinson
hdp://www.mhpbooks.com/
15
hdp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/pamphlet/2013/10/15/lessonsIfromItheIfauxIjournalIinvesWgaWon/

16. Why'are'we'not'there'yet?
Researchers'are'illIinformed'and'conservaWve
‣ too'few'aware'of:
‣ how'OA'works
‣ subscripWon'costs'&'access'problems'
‣ confusion'in'universiWes'about'their'public'duWes?
‣ obligaWons'to'funders'&'taxpayers
hdp://www.lrb.co.uk/v35/n20/stefanIcollini/soldIout
16

17. Why'are'we'not'there'yet?
Concerns'of'learned'socieWes
‣ loss'of'valuable'income?
hdp://openIaccess.org.uk/informaWonIandIguidance/guideItoIgoldoa/
Stuart'Shieber
hdp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/pamphlet/2013/01/29/whyIopenIaccessIisIbederIforIscholarlyIsocieWes/
17

18. Why'are'we'not'there'yet?
Researchers'fear'damage'to'established'models
‣ variaWon'between'humaniWes'and'sciences'
‣ different'relaWonships'with'their'published'work
‣ variaWon'between'the'sciences
‣ Physics'arΧiv'vs'bioRΧiv
‣ suspicious'of'the'web
‣ addicted'to'impact'factors'
Image:'hdp://associate.com/photos/BibleIPicturesII1897IWIAIFoster/pageI0069I1.jpg
18

19. To'realise'the'vision'of'OA,'we'need'to'replace'the'apparatus'of'the'Impact'factor'
occamstypewriter.org/scurry
"ar9cles$in$all$journals$should$be$
assessed$on,their,own,merits,rather$
than$on$the$basis$of$the$journal$in$
which$they$were$published"
"affirms$the$principle$that$it$is$the$intrinsic,
merit,of,the,work,$and$not$the$9tle$of$the$
journal$in$which$an$author’s$work$is$
published,$that$should$be$considered$in$
making$funding$decisions."
19

20. To'realise'the'vision'of'OA,'we'need'to'replace'the'apparatus'of'the'Impact'factor'
March$21,$2013
"when$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."
20
April$8,$2013

21. To'realise'the'vision'of'OA,'we'need'to'replace'the'apparatus'of'the'Impact'factor'
Vale,'R.'D.'(2012)'Mol$Biol$Cel
Lawrence,'P.'A.'
l$23,'3285–3289.
(2007)'Curr.$Bio
l.'17,'
R583–5.
Samuel'Reich,'E.'(2013)'Nature'502,'291I3.

22. The inexorable rise of Open Access
UK: 35% Green OA
UK: 5% Gold OA
World: 17% Gold OA
-Oct-2012
22
nly
eo
lin
n
O
e only
nlin
O
oA
(n
C)
P
APC)
(no
OA online
Print sub/

23. Remaining'Challenges
‣
GeSng%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'insWtuWons
‣
Market%innovaIons%(from'new'&'est.'publishers)'—'level'playing'field
‣
DuraWon'&'cost'of'transiWon?'(When'will'subs%money'be'released?)
‣
InternaIonal%cooperaIon%on'OA'policy'(Niamh'Brennan)
23

24. Questions?
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