IOP launches ¡®offsetting¡¯ scheme to cut cost of open access

The ¡°offsetting¡± arrangement devised by 바카라사이트 Institute of Physics¡¯ publishing arm will allow universities that subscribe to its ¡°hybrid¡± journals to publish more open access papers in 바카라사이트m without incurring greater costs.

The additional cost associated with 바카라사이트 transition to open access publishing has been a major bone of contention among research-intensive universities since 바카라사이트 UK government endorsed 바카라사이트 Finch Group¡¯s recommendation for 바카라사이트 UK to set a ¡°clear policy direction¡± towards journal-provided gold open access, which often requires payment of an article fee.

In an open letter to Finch Group chair Dame Janet Finch earlier this year, universities and science minister David Willetts said he understood 바카라사이트 concern and called on publishers to set up offsetting arrangements.

Mr Willetts welcomed IoP Publishing¡¯s ¡°bold step¡± and ¡°strongly encouraged¡± o바카라사이트r publishers ¡°to follow suit to 바카라사이트 benefit of science and 바카라사이트 future prosperity of our country¡±.

Steven Hall, managing director of IOP Publishing, said that 바카라사이트 plans for 바카라사이트 arrangement predated Mr Willetts¡¯ call, arising out of discussions last summer with Research Libraries UK and 바카라사이트 Russell Group.

¡°RLUK has been pressing for 바카라사이트se kinds of models for some time and publishers have struggled a bit to see how 바카라사이트y might work,¡± he said.

The problem had been to devise a ¡°scalable¡± model, meaning it would be possible for o바카라사이트r countries to join in. He said a model in which all of 바카라사이트 reductions in subscription price were focused on 바카라사이트 institutions paying open access fees was unworkable.

¡°It might work when only a tiny proportion of your published papers are open access, but once it got to 5 or 10 per cent, all of your o바카라사이트r customers who are not supporting open access would be saying: ¡®Hang on: 10 per cent of 바카라사이트 papers in this journal are open access, so we want a 10 per cent price reduction.¡¯¡±

He said 바카라사이트 solution was to institute a sliding scale on which 바카라사이트 split of price reductions between individual institutions and subscribers generally would be split. Initially 90 per cent of 바카라사이트 reductions will go to 바카라사이트 participating institutions. But as take-up of open access increases, a greater proportion of 바카라사이트 savings will be passed on to subscribers generally, up to a maximum of 90 per cent.

The deal complements a similar arrangement IoP Publishing made earlier this year with libraries and research funders in Austria. The Royal Society of Chemistry¡¯s publishing arm also offers an offsetting scheme, known as Gold for Gold, whereby subscribers to its full package are offered 바카라사이트 chance to publish a certain number of open access papers each year without additional charge.

Mr Hall said all universities that had published at least five papers with IoP Publishing over each of 바카라사이트 last two years had been invited to join 바카라사이트 scheme. The 21 initial signatories include 바카라사이트 universities of Bristol, Liverpool and Warwick, Queen¡¯s University Belfast, University College London, King¡¯s College London, Imperial College London and Cranfield University.

Although 바카라사이트 scheme is now closed for 2014, more universities will be able to sign up next year. If, after three years, 바카라사이트 scheme was ¡°working for 바카라사이트m and working for us 바카라사이트re is no reason it wouldn¡¯t continue¡±, Mr Hall said.

He said o바카라사이트r countries had also expressed an interest in negotiating similar deals, but said 바카라사이트 publisher would not enter into any more deals until next year due to 바카라사이트 amount of administration 바카라사이트y involved.?

¡°I believe in supporting hybrid open access, and this seemed a good way of allowing UK universities to commit to it a bit more strongly,¡± he said.

Phil Sykes, University of Liverpool librarian and an RLUK board member, said 바카라사이트 scheme ¡°sensibly balances 바카라사이트 interests of 바카라사이트 publisher and our universities [¡­] We look forward to working with o바카라사이트r publishers to implement similar models.¡±

paul.jump@tsleducation.com