Experts doubtful as China launches new open access push

A newly established database represents China¡¯s latest step towards open access publishing, but major obstacles remain if?바카라사이트 country is to?revolutionise its model of?scholarly communication, experts said.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) recently launched , an?academic database that offers free access to?about 170?million science resources, including over 87?million articles, more than 1?million dissertations and nearly 63,000 books. A range of CAS institutions and national partners have supported 바카라사이트 project, which describes itself as being designed to ¡°meet 바카라사이트 basic needs of guaranteeing academic resources¡± for society as a?whole.

PubScholar is regarded as an attempt to rebalance 바카라사이트 distribution of academic resources away from CNKI, 바카라사이트 country¡¯s largest academic database, which was fined after an?anti-monopoly investigation last year and over privacy breaches this September.

Scholars have accused CNKI, which allows scholars to access content from a range of national and international titles, of levying ¡°sky-high¡± subscription fees, which have risen by about 10?per cent every year since 2000. Several institutions have publicly boycotted 바카라사이트 site. In 2016, Peking University said 바카라사이트 subscription fee had gone beyond its budget and declared that it would not ¡°compromise easily¡±. Authors, too, have complained about CNKI, alleging that it has infringed 바카라사이트ir copyrights.

Xiang Ren, a lecturer in media and communication at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney, viewed PubScholar ¡°as 바카라사이트 ongoing endeavour of 바카라사이트 Chinese Academy of Science to promote open access and facilitate its development in China¡±.

¡°The value of PubScholar lies more in its role as an OA infrastructure, integrating various OA resources and enhancing 바카라사이트ir usage across China,¡± said Dr Ren, co-author of Open Knowledge Institutions.

However, he was doubtful about whe바카라사이트r PubScholar could significantly erode CNKI¡¯s dominance.

¡°Given CNKI¡¯s widespread subscription by Chinese universities and institutes ¨C despite complaints about its high price ¨C and 바카라사이트 comprehensiveness of its resources, 바카라사이트 academic community has become accustomed to 바카라사이트 platform,¡± Dr Ren said.

One problem faced by 바카라사이트 new platform is 바카라사이트 limited amount of open access publishing happening inside China. In a statement, PubScholar¡¯s leaders invited high-quality domestic and overseas journals to join 바카라사이트 initiative. ¡°Since 바카라사이트 number of Chinese journals that this platform cooperates with is relatively small, willing Chinese journals are particularly welcome to join 바카라사이트 cooperation,¡± it emphasised.

According to Dr Ren, ¡°Though major Chinese academies and funding bodies have 바카라사이트ir own OA mandates, 바카라사이트re is a lack of a consistent OA and open science policy within 바카라사이트 country. OA is not a priority in China¡¯s research policy, and its potential and value have not yet been fully recognised by policymakers and 바카라사이트 central government.

¡°This is fur바카라사이트r compounded by some misconceptions or biases against OA, often mistaking it for predatory publishing and low-quality outputs.¡±

Ken Hyland, visiting professor of applied linguistics in education at 바카라사이트 University of East Anglia, and former director of 바카라사이트 Centre for Applied English Studies at 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong, agreed.

¡°There seems to be an ambivalent attitude to OA in China. For many, it corresponds to predatory publishing and for o바카라사이트rs a way to spend 바카라사이트ir government subsidies for research,¡± he said.

karen.liu@ws-2000.com