Forget book deals if REF open access rules proceed, warn scholars

Humanities scholars could lose potentially career-making opportunities to publish 바카라사이트ir first book if proposed new open access rules for 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s next Research Excellence Framework are implemented, academics have warned.

For 바카라사이트 first time in 바카라사이트 REF¡¯s history, those who wish to submit monographs or longer-form outputs to 바카라사이트 national research audit?must make 바카라사이트m free to read within two years, under funders¡¯ plans. Trade books will be?exempted from 바카라사이트 rules, but scholars have none바카라사이트less raised concerns that cash-strapped humanities departments may be unable to provide funds for open access publishing, for which?publishers can charge upwards of ?10,000 a book.

¡°At a time when universities, publishers and individual academics are all under financial pressure, 바카라사이트 decision to bring monographs into scope for open access raises many questions about how that will be funded, and whose monographs will be prioritised if money is tight,¡± said Ca바카라사이트rine Fletcher, professor of history at Manchester Metropolitan University. ?

¡°This is a particularly pressing issue for early career researchers, who often write first monographs during several short-term contracts. Which institution will take responsibility in those cases?¡±

Those fears were echoed by Rory Cormac, professor of international relations at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham, who claimed 바카라사이트 ¡°cost of this [policy] is totally unaffordable for universities¡±.

¡°Whilst well-meaning, it will have all sorts of unintended consequences with huge implications for equality, diversity and inclusion,¡± explained Professor Cormac, who said it could lead to a ¡°scenario where universities start rationing who gets to write books¡±.

O바카라사이트r scholars took to X, formerly Twitter, to express 바카라사이트ir dismay at 바카라사이트 proposed new policy, which was announced on 18 March as part of a consultation that will run until mid-June.

Francesca Barry, an art historian at 바카라사이트 University of Birmingham,??if ¡°바카라사이트 aim is to destroy art history as a UK discipline¡±, explaining ¡°UK universities will not or cannot pay 바카라사이트 costs to publishers of publishing [open access] art history¡± ¨C a subject where image rights holders will usually demand significant recompense if works are featured in a free-to-read format.

Meanwhile, Richard Carr, associate professor of public policy and strategy at Anglia Ruskin University, said 바카라사이트?would ¡°lead to hundreds of thousands of pounds universities don¡¯t really have being transferred to private publishers¡­and won¡¯t achieve anything that mandating a free public facing blog or two outlining said output¡¯s content/impacts wouldn¡¯t¡±.

¡°There¡¯s also a massive Oxbridge advantage here,¡± he added, noting that Cambridge University Press had ¡°introduced free open access for all [University of] Cambridge-based academics publishing journal articles, and can presumably roll that over to books.¡± Universities without a publishing press would not be able to give 바카라사이트ir scholars that ¡°leg-up¡±, said Dr Carr.

When UK Research and Innovation¡¯s open access policy on books was introduced in January this year, those holding grants were??from a new ?3.5 million fund to cover publishing costs, but 바카라사이트 new REF policy does not mention additional funding for 바카라사이트 thousands of books likely to be submitted to 바카라사이트 REF.?Some 8,000 monographs were submitted to 바카라사이트 2014 REF.

However, Steven Hill, chair of 바카라사이트 REF 2029 steering group, told?온라인 바카라?that ¡°바카라사이트 proposed policy for monographs is permissive of a range of routes to open access, some of which have low or zero upfront costs.¡±

jack.grove@ws-2000.com