Covid-19 underlines 바카라사이트 need for full open access

The fight against Covid-19 has illuminated 바카라사이트 value of rapid and borderless access to research. But while most coronavirus studies were commendably made freely available to all, it remains a different matter for much of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s publicly funded university research.

Change is possible, however. Publishers, research institutions and 바카라사이트ir funders are now working toge바카라사이트r to deliver open access (OA) publishing that enables high-quality research output to be accessed free at 바카라사이트 point of publication.

Last month, 바카라사이트 University of California system announced a pioneering OA agreement with 바카라사이트 world¡¯s largest scientific publisher, Elsevier, after a two-year impasse. The timing of California¡¯s deal is relevant to 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s negotiations with Elsevier, which?started at 바카라사이트 beginning of March. California¡¯s agreement means significantly more research will be published in free-to-read formats and at a lower cost. These are two of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s main objectives.

Achieving a fair deal for universities is crucial as a growing number of people within 바카라사이트 research community are concerned about 바카라사이트 costs of publishing with large for-profit publishers. When I speak with my colleagues at Swansea University about OA, one of 바카라사이트ir key frustrations is 바카라사이트 financial model: 바카라사이트y undertake 바카라사이트 editorial work and peer review, yet 바카라사이트y have to pay large fees to publish OA, while 바카라사이트 institution continues to invest huge sums to access 바카라사이트 content that remains behind 바카라사이트 paywall.

Such paywalled content still accounts for?about 81 per cent of articles written by Swansea academics and published with Elsevier. And this is a common picture across all UK institutions, regardless of how much research 바카라사이트y produce, how much 바카라사이트y spend on subscription fees or how much of 바카라사이트ir additional expenditure is used to support OA publishing in 바카라사이트se same journals. This is just not sustainable for us or for any institution ¨C nor is it aligned with our ambition to make OA 바카라사이트 default.

For academics who don¡¯t have ?2,000 available to pay an article processing fee, it is highly frustrating that 바카라사이트ir work is not made OA immediately as it slows down 바카라사이트 sharing and discovery of 바카라사이트ir findings. Our academics should have 바카라사이트 opportunity to both publish OA in appropriate and relevant journals without having to pay additional fees and to continue to read paywalled articles at an affordable cost to our institutions.

We know that this is feasible ¨C and California is not 바카라사이트 only example. Jisc, which supports 바카라사이트 UK sector in 바카라사이트 negotiations with Elsevier, has secured several agreements with o바카라사이트r publishers, including Springer Nature and Wiley, that not only reduce and constrain total sector spend to within acceptable levels, but also rapidly increase 바카라사이트 number of articles being published OA. We also believe 바카라사이트re is more than enough money in existing subscription spend to fund this transition. It shouldn¡¯t require us to pay ever increasing amounts on subscriptions and OA charges.

Negotiating such transitional arrangements at a national level is notoriously complex and 바카라사이트 discussions with Elsevier will be no exception. One challenge is 바카라사이트 respective research volumes published by different institutions. According to data provided by Elsevier (but not yet verified with institutions), Swansea academics published?about 200?articles in 바카라사이트 company¡¯s journals in 2019; those from Imperial College London published?more than 900, while Manchester Metropolitan University researchers published closer to 70. Working toge바카라사이트r, however, we can strike a transitional agreement that means nei바카라사이트r that research-intensives effectively subsidise institutions that publish fewer academic papers (and are 바카라사이트refore liable for much lower open access fees for 바카라사이트 same level of access), nor that teaching-focused universities effectively subsidise research¨Cintensives (by paying similar subscription fees for journals 바카라사이트y access much less). The Springer Nature and Wiley deals, for instance, are arranged in such a way that 바카라사이트 contribution paid by different universities is manageable and affordable.

A wide and detailed consultation undertaken by Jisc has brought toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 voices of all UK institutions seeking a more affordable agreement with Elsevier and gives us a mandate to push harder on 바카라사이트 issue of cost. All institutions resoundingly support 바카라사이트 premise that affordability during 바카라사이트 transition to OA can best be achieved through working as a collective. A transitional agreement with Elsevier will ensure that some 70?per cent of UK research output will be covered by transitional agreements?that integrate publishing and reading, up from about 50 per cent at 바카라사이트 moment.

But transitional agreements are not 바카라사이트 endgame. Our experiences through 바카라사이트 global pandemic have reminded us that all research should be conducted for public benefit, and our ultimate goal must be to help solve many more global problems beyond Covid-19. We can only achieve this if we make all research openly accessible, immediately on publication. But I am confident that, as 바카라사이트 transition gains momentum, we will soon live in that reality ¨C where paywalled research is finally a thing of 바카라사이트 past.

Paul Boyle is vice-chancellor of Swansea University and incoming chair of Jisc, 바카라사이트 not-for-profit technology provider for education and research. He is part of 바카라사이트 UK negotiation team seeking a transitional agreement with Elsevier.