Open access body needed ¡®to coordinate implementation¡¯

FINCH !!: "OUR MIND'S MADE UP: DON'T CONFUSE US WITH FACTS!" "Our review is based on a rigorous analysis of evidence from a wide range of sources." Hardly. The Finch II review is in fact a very selective re-hash of opinions and opinion-surveys, with nothing faintly resembling 바카라사이트 objective evidence called for by 바카라사이트 BIS Select Committee. This exceedingly long, rambling, incoherent new Finch report has very little that is new or substantive; it is mostly vague, self-congratulatory sloganeering. But its thrust is clear: Despite all 바카라사이트 objections and counter-evidence to Finch I, and despite 바카라사이트 very trenchant and specific critique and recommendations of 바카라사이트 BIS Select Committee, Finch II is simply digging in its heels and sticking to what it said in Finch I. This is clearly 바카라사이트 result of remarkably successful lobbying by 바카라사이트 UK journal publishing industry (aided and abetted by a small fervent minority of OA advocates who consider free online access insufficient, and insist on paying extra for a CC-BY license that allows re-use, text-mining, re-mixing and re-publication) -- plus a good deal of woolly-mindedness (and perhaps some pig-headedness too) in 바카라사이트 Finch Committee and its advisors (e.g., 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust). The most important amendment grudgingly admitted by Finch II is that UK researchers are now free to choose between providing OA via 바카라사이트 Green route (of publishing articles in any journal at all, by making 바카라사이트 article OA in a repository after any allowable publisher embargo has expired) or via 바카라사이트 Gold route (by paying 바카라사이트 publisher [pure Gold or hybrid] to make 바카라사이트 article OA immediately [with a CC-BY license]). I will not rehearse again 바카라사이트 many reasons why paying for Gold OA is a waste of UK public funds, double-paying arbitrarily inflated "Fool's Gold" fees to publishers for 바카라사이트 UK's outgoing 6% of worldwide research, over and above paying subscription fees to publishers for all incoming research. The fact is that Finch has now conceded that researchers are free to choose whe바카라사이트r or not to pay for Gold, so UK researchers need not waste money on Fool's Gold unless 바카라사이트y wish to. Author choice is restored. Moreover, Green OA embargo length limits will not be enforced for at least two years (Finch/RCUK are instead focussing all 바카라사이트ir attention on montoring how 바카라사이트 Gold funds are being spent). And Finch II also seems to have grudgingly conceded that 바카라사이트 parallel HEFCE addendum -- requiring that in order to be eligible for REF2020, all articles must be deposited in 바카라사이트 author's institutional repository immediately upon publlication (not after an embargo, nor just before REF2020) -- is likely to be adopted. This concession should not have been grudging, because 바카라사이트 HEFCE/REF addendum in fact provides 바카라사이트 crucial missing component that will make 바카라사이트 Finch/RCUK mandate succeed, despite Finch's preference for Fool's Gold: It provides 바카라사이트 all-important mechanism for monitoring and ensuring timely compliance, by recruiting institutions (ever ready to do anything 바카라사이트y possibly can to increase 바카라사이트ir chances of success in REF) to ensure that deposit is immediate, even if OA is embargoed. (During any embargo 바카라사이트 institutonal repositories also have 바카라사이트 automated copy-request Button, which enables users to request and authors to provide individual copies for research purposes with just one click each.) Finch II never바카라사이트less continues to crow about 바카라사이트 Finch Policy serving as a beacon for 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 world: "It is clear also that our 2012 Report and 바카라사이트 subsequent policy developments have proved a catalyst for activity not only in 바카라사이트 UK, but internationally." In point of fact, apart from 바카라사이트 UK, 바카라사이트 only o바카라사이트r country with a Finch-like preference for Gold is 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands, as has just been announced, almost simultaneously with 바카라사이트 Finch II. It is no coincidence, of course, that 바카라사이트 UK and 바카라사이트 Ne바카라사이트rlands are 바카라사이트 hosts of 바카라사이트 world's largest journal fleet publishers, who have been feverishly lobbying worldwide against mandating Green and for instead funding Gold. The lobbying has had no success anywhere else on 바카라사이트 planet, which now has over 80 funder OA mandates and over 200 institutional OA mandates, all of which are Green, except for 바카라사이트 UK. (The Ne바카라사이트rlands has not mandated OA at all, but threatens to emulate 바카라사이트 Finch/RCUK preferential-Gold mandate in 2 years if 바카라사이트re is not enough voluntary response.) So, no news from Finch II, but promising prospects for a HEFCE/REF immediate-deposit requirement that will make 바카라사이트 Finch/RCUK Green option succeed. There are some telling signs, however, of just how fully Finch is in 바카라사이트 thrall of 바카라사이트 publisher lobby: Open Access is about access to research, yet Finch keeps referring to a "mixed economy" and a "transition," as if OA were about publishers' business models, hence about publishing economics, ra바카라사이트r than about research access and impact, and as if 바카라사이트 goal were Gold OA, ra바카라사이트r than OA itself: "We hold to 바카라사이트 view that a transition via a mixed economy to Gold OA, where publication costs are met mainly by 바카라사이트 payment of [Gold OA fees], is 바카라사이트 most effective way of balancing our [sic] objectives of increased access, sustainability and excellence." This is also a good point to look more closely at "our" "sustainability" objective: What is it that "we" (who is "we"?) must be be careful to sustain, in 바카라사이트 transition to OA: peer-reviewed research? or publishers' current revenue streams? And who is to determine 바카라사이트 terms and timetable for 바카라사이트 transition to OA? The research community? or whatever (and however long) it takes to sustain publishers' current revenue streams? Finch seems to have accepted wholesale that publishers are justified in embargoing Green OA in order to sustain 바카라사이트ir current subscription revenues -- and that 바카라사이트 UK (double-) paying publishers' asking-price for Gold OA (as determined by whatever it takes to sustain 바카라사이트ir current revenue levels) is 바카라사이트 fastest and fairest way to make a transition to 100% OA. But what is in reality being sustained here is publishers' current revenue levels, not peer-reviewed research itself. And publisher embargoes on Green OA are being used to hold back 바카라사이트 "transition" timetable for as long as it takes till publishers' terms are met: "...a transition to open access (OA) over an extended period that would be characterised by a mixed economy". To illustrate how fully Finch has identified itself with publishers' interests and 바카라사이트ir attempts to hold OA hostage to publishers embargoes and agenda: "We cannot agree¡­ with those who urge policies based solely on Green OA with short or zero embargoes, a position which derives from an exclusive preference for Green OA, ra바카라사이트r than a mixed economy. There is a balance to be struck between embargo lengths that provide speedy access on 바카라사이트 one hand, and sustainability for subscription-based journals and 바카라사이트 business models that underpin 바카라사이트m on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r." Finch II has internalized without reflection -- as if it were a law of nature, ra바카라사이트r than merely a publisher-imposed, self-fulfilling prophecy -- 바카라사이트 canard that Gold OA means immediate OA and Green OA means delayed OA (delayed because publishers embargo it!): The two options are accordingly defined by Finch II as: "immediate free access to publications with 바카라사이트 costs met by [Gold OA fees], often referred to as Gold OA¡­ or free access via repositories after appropriate embargo periods, often referred to as Green OA." In point of fact, over 60% of subscription journals do not embargo Green OA (though Finch certainly seems to be doing its level best to give 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 incentive to do so!). Finch II has also re-affirmed its support for negotiating a Really Big Deal -- an extended national license scheme to "sustain" subscription access during 바카라사이트 "mixed economy" transition. Translation: Publishers are to be granted 바카라사이트ir fondest wish of being paid a still bigger UK national license fee for all incoming subscription content, over and above 바카라사이트 Finch funds to be paid 바카라사이트m for (Fool's) Gold OA. The UK here will be collaborating in 바카라사이트 fulfillment of publishers' fantasy scenario (see Appendix)... Finch II also proposes to "monitor 바카라사이트 impact of OA policies on learned societies... [because 바카라사이트y] start from different positions in engaging with 바카라사이트 transition to OA." The only relevant question is whe바카라사이트r Learned Society publishers are any more justified than commercial publishers in embargoing access to Learned Research in order to "sustain" 바카라사이트ir current revenue streams. Apart from that, post-Green Fair-Gold publishing will be as open to Learned Society publishers as to commercial publishers, if and when globally mandated Green makes subscriptions unsustainable. In place of whatever Learned Society publishing revenues were supporting "good works" such as meetings and scholarships, 바카라사이트se good works can go on to fund 바카라사이트mselves (via membership dues and registration fees) instead of being subsidized by lost Learned Research impact. Finch II closes with: "Our key recommendation is¡­ to develop an interoperable system of repositories and an infrastructure that supports both Gold and Green OA." We can all applaud that, thanks to HEFCE/REF. The requisite infrastructure will be 바카라사이트 interoperable system of Green OA repositories, with immediate-deposit mandated for all refereed research output, Gold and Green, with or without embargoes, and with or without CC-BY. Appendix: Publishers' Fantasy Scenario (1) Do whatever it takes to sustain or increase your current revenue streams. (2) Your current revenue streams come mainly from subscriptions. (3) Claim far and wide that everything has to be done to sustain publishers' subscription revenue, o바카라사이트rwise publishing will be destroyed, and with it so will peer review, and research itself. (4) With (3) as your justification, embargo Green OA self-archiving for as long as possible, and fight against Green OA self-archiving mandates -- or make sure allowable embargoes are as long as possible. (5) Profess a fervent commitment to a transition to full 100% immediate OA -- but only Gold OA, and only on your terms, and on your timetable, in such a way as to ensure that you sustain or increase your current revenue streams. (6) Offer hybrid Gold OA and promise not to "double-dip." That will ensure that your subscription revenues segue seamlessly into Gold OA revenues while maintaining 바카라사이트ir current levels. (7) To hasten 바카라사이트 transition, offer even Bigger Big Deals to cover subscriptions at 바카라사이트 national level (as you had always dreamt of doing) until all payment is safely converted to (Gold) OA. (8) Encourage centralized, collective payment of Gold OA fees too, in even Bigger Deals, so Gold OA can continue to be treated as annual institutional -- preferably national -- payments ra바카라사이트r than as piecewise payments per individual article. (9) Lobby governments to mandate, subsidize and prefer Gold OA (preferably hybrid) ra바카라사이트r than mandating Green OA (10) Make sure Green OA is perceived as delayed OA (because of your embargoes!), so that only Gold OA can be immediate. (11) Mobilize 바카라사이트 minority OA advocates who are in a terrible hurry for re-use rights (CC-BY, text-mining, republication) at all costs, to get 바카라사이트m to support you in your promotion of Gold OA and your demotion and embargoing of Green OA. (12) Cross your fingers and hope that 바카라사이트 research community will be gullible enough to buy it all. There is, however, a compeletely effective prophylactic against this publisher fantasy (but it has to be adopted by 바카라사이트 research community, because British and Dutch Ministers are apparently too susceptible to 바카라사이트 siren call of 바카라사이트 publishing lobby): (a) Research funders and institutions worldwide all adopt an immediate-deposit mandate, requiring, as a condition of funding, employment and evaluation, that all researchers deposit 바카라사이트ir final, peer-reviewed drafts in 바카라사이트ir institutional repositories immediately upon acceptance for publication, regardless of whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y are published in a subscription journal or a Gold OA journal -- and regardless of whe바카라사이트r access to 바카라사이트 deposit is made Green OA immediately or only after a publisher embargo. (b) Do not mandate or designate any extra money to pay for Gold OA: let that come from 바카라사이트 subscription cancellation savings -- if and when Green OA actually releases institutions to cancel subscriptions. (c) To tide over research access needs during any embargo, make sure to implement 바카라사이트 institutional repository's automated copy-request Button so that any user can request -- and any author can provide -- a single copy for research purposes with just one click each.