open-access

Libraries and Open Journal Systems: Hosting and facilitating the creation of Open Access scholarship

acraft-photoThere
is a growing availability of free tools and software for academic
publishing. How might libraries leverage existing platforms? Anna R. Craft describes
one experience of an academic library hosting locally-produced open
access journals through Open Journals Systems (OJS). But even “free”
software is not without costs in relation to time and expertise. Care
should be taken in facilitating a supportive environment to meet an
institution’s journal-hosting needs.

High prices to access scholarly research could drive developing country researchers to use pirate sites like SciHub

jonanthan_harleDeveloping
countries are investing more in research and higher education and it
should be no surprise that publishers are building commercial
relationships to expand access and services. But prices are often still
too high. Jonathan Harle argues now is a good time for
the research community to reflect on what we can do to bring the cost of
access down. If we don’t, we can’t be surprised when pirate
alternatives like SciHub crop up.

Enabling authors to pay for open access – The Gold Open Access market and the role of an institutional central fund.

S-Pinfield-2014Having tracked and analysed the usage data of one university’s central open access fund over an eight year period, Stephen Pinfield
shares findings from a detailed case study of the paid-for Gold Open
Access market. Mandates, particularly if accompanied by funding, have
played a very important role in encouraging uptake of Gold OA.
Communication was a crucial factor in making potential users of the fund
aware of its existence and in helping to change perceptions of OA in
general.

How do students access the resources they need? Survey finds only one in five obtain all resources legally

laura czerniewiczLaura Czerniewicz
presents an overview of findings from a study on the practices of
university students accessing learning resources at a research-intensive
university in South Africa. There is a grey zone in the access of
resources that is now simply part of normal life in a new communication
and information order. The students’ perspectives raise critical issues
for new models of publishing, for digital literacies and for open
scholarship.

Announcing OpenCon 2016: Catalyzing collective action for a more open scholarly system

whyopenEach
year OpenCon brings together students and early career academic
professionals from around the world to advance Open Access, Open
Education and Open Data. Nick Shockey and Joseph McArthur announce here the next OpenCon dates. In addition, Chris Hartgerink
takes a look back at OpenCon 2015 and reflects on how the conference
became the catalyst for a variety of deliberate actions around scholarly
communication.

Are the ‘gatekeepers’ becoming censors? On editorial processes and the interests of the scholarly community

williamstclair_clip_image002_200x228Questions
about the proper role of learned journals and of publishers are brought
to the fore in a recent exchange over suggested edits to a book review.
William St Clair shares his experience and the review
in question and wonders whether some learned journals are becoming
afraid to facilitate discussion of academic issues.

SAGE Open five years on: Lessons learned and future thoughts on open access in humanities and social sciences

dave rossSAGE Open is celebrating its 5th birthday.
When SAGE Publishing launched SAGE Open in 2010, the humanities and
social sciences were still grappling with how to approach open access
(OA). Through its mega-journal, well over 1000 articles have now been
published OA, and it is one of SAGE’s most-used journals. Dave Ross looks back at the journal’s growth and lessons learned.

Given frustrations with academic structures, how can we build a more human-centered open science?

alex-lancasterOpen science has finally hit the mainstream. Alex Lancaster looks
at the emerging criticisms leveled against how we publish and
disseminate science and argues it may be time to reframe the open
science project. Rather than relying on instrumentalist language of
“carrot-and-sticks” and “rewards-and-incentives” we should instead focus
on the actual working conditions for scientists and the political
economy in which they are embedded.

What it means to be Green: exploring publishers’ changing approaches to Green open access

elizabeth gaddDenise Troll CoveyThe
number of publishers allowing some form of self-archiving has increased
noticeably over the last decade or so. However, new research by Elizabeth Gadd and Denise Troll Covey
shows that this increase is outstripped by the proliferation of
restrictions that accompany self-archiving policies. In an environment
where publishers may in fact be discouraging preferred models of open
access, it’s time to redefine what it means to be Green.

The impact of article processing charges on libraries and what is being done to help

shamashFollowing significant growth in gold open access publishing, Katie Shamash
looks at the available APC data and picks out some key insights. APCs
are now an increasingly significant portion of institutions’ overall
spend, with the quickly narrowing gap between gold open access APCs and
those of hybrid journals representing an additional concern. Moreover,
the administrative difficulties that can lead to underreporting of APC
expenditure demonstrate the importance of opening up the data and
promoting a fully transparent marketplace.
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