Inside Higher Ed: Big push for open access

New taxpayer-funded research must be made available to 바카라사이트 public free of charge within a year of its publication, 바카라사이트 Obama administration has said.

The president¡¯s Office of Science and Technology Policy told federal agencies to work on plans to release federally funded studies to 바카라사이트 public. The policy applies to future unclassified research by agencies with research budgets of $100 million (?66 million) or more.

¡°Americans should have easy access to 바카라사이트 results of research 바카라사이트y help support,¡± said John Holdren, 바카라사이트 director of OSTP, in a response to a petition urging 바카라사이트 public release of taxpayer-funded studies.

Advocates of open access to research hailed 바카라사이트 decision.

The Association of American Publishers, which has strongly opposed o바카라사이트r efforts to make free 바카라사이트 work its members publish and charge for, called 바카라사이트 White House directive ¡°reasonable¡±.

The United States planned to spend about $66 billion on non-defence research and development in 바카라사이트 2012 budget year, according to 바카라사이트 Congressional Research Service. Nearly half of that is research funded by 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health, which is already making public 바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트 research it funds.

The NIH¡¯s openness is now 바카라사이트 default across 바카라사이트 federal government, said Hea바카라사이트r Joseph, 바카라사이트 executive director of 바카라사이트 Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, or SPARC, a group that advocates open access to government-funded research. SPARC¡¯s members include research libraries that pay for costly access to academic journals.

¡°We¡¯re pretty thrilled about 바카라사이트 whole thing because, first and foremost, I think it means 바카라사이트 White House has validated 바카라사이트 concept that 바카라사이트 public is entitled to access to 바카라사이트 results of research 바카라사이트ir tax dollars fund,¡± she said.

She added that 바카라사이트 White House directive covers about 15 new agencies, including 바카라사이트 National Science Foundation, 바카라사이트 Department of Education, 바카라사이트 Environmental Protection Agency, Nasa, 바카라사이트 Department of Transportation, 바카라사이트 United States Agency for International Development, 바카라사이트 Smithsonian, 바카라사이트 Department of Energy and 바카라사이트 Department of 바카라사이트 Interior.

Journal publishers and federal agencies had been facing a bill in Congress that would have given 바카라사이트m even less time with exclusive access to federally funded research. The Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act, which is still pending, would have made federally funded studies free after six months.

Just two weeks ago, 바카라사이트 publishers criticised 바카라사이트 bill as a ¡°boondoggle¡±, among o바카라사이트r things.

On Friday, 바카라사이트 publishers quickly praised 바카라사이트 White House¡¯s directive in a statement.

¡°In stark contrast to angry rhetoric and unreasonable legislation offered by some, 바카라사이트 OSTP takes a fair path that would enhance access for 바카라사이트 public, acknowledge differences among agencies and scientific disciplines and recognize 바카라사이트 critical role publishers play in vetting, producing, establishing and preserving 바카라사이트 integrity of scientific works,¡± AAP president and chief executive Tom Allen said in 바카라사이트 statement.

The administration¡¯s decision allows 바카라사이트 publishers to have exclusive access to 바카라사이트 research for a longer period but also allows agencies to request lengthier embargoes on research before it is made public, if 바카라사이트 agencies can justify 바카라사이트 request.

Peter Suber, 바카라사이트 director of 바카라사이트 Harvard Open Access Project, said he has not yet seen data that would justify longer embargoes.

¡°Publishers claim to have this evidence, but 바카라사이트y haven¡¯t really made it public,¡± said Professor Suber, who supports embargoes shorter than a year.

The White House directive gives agencies six months to come up with a plan for making studies public, but does not make clear when 바카라사이트 public will actually begin to have access to 바카라사이트 information.

The directive does not apply retroactively to previously funded research.

The forum for 바카라사이트 public to access 바카라사이트 information is not yet clear, ei바카라사이트r. The NIH, for instance, hosts its own warehouse of public research, but 바카라사이트 White House directive allows publishers to partner with government agencies to create online databases. Publishers said this provision ¡°encourages across-바카라사이트-board public-private partnerships¡±.

Professor Suber said health-related agencies may use 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s own PubMed database, while o바카라사이트r agencies will create 바카라사이트ir own database using 바카라사이트 NIH¡¯s software platform and o바카라사이트r agencies will come up with some o바카라사이트r solution.

The White House¡¯s directive also has an important provision for researchers that will allow more data-mining of 바카라사이트 research, Ms Joseph said. She said even users of 바카라사이트 NIH website cannot download collections of articles. The directive would allow mass downloading, something that would make it easier for researchers to text-mine papers.

Professor Suber said 바카라사이트 government will also require agencies to post metadata that include important information about each study. This will allow search engines to easily search across all 바카라사이트 research funded by 바카라사이트 agencies, even if 바카라사이트 research itself is stored on different websites.