Open access ¡®waiver¡¯ schemes encouraged by government

The Royal Society of Chemistry¡¯s ¡°gold for gold¡± scheme, under which researchers get credit to pay open access fees equal to 바카라사이트 cost of 바카라사이트ir university¡¯s subscription, was highlighted at a House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills committee evidence session on 14 May.

¡°The more that kind of thinking can be seen to permeate through 바카라사이트 publishing industry, 바카라사이트 better,¡± Ron Egginton, BIS observer on 바카라사이트 government-convened Working Group on Expanding Access to Published Research Findings, told 바카라사이트 committee¡¯s open access inquiry.

Universities and science minister David Willetts also picked out 바카라사이트 RSC¡¯s scheme ¨C which applies only to institutions subscribing to 바카라사이트 society¡¯s ¡°gold¡± premium collection of journals ¨C as an ¡°ingenious attempt¡± to avoid so-called ¡°double dipping¡±.

The term describes when publishers with hybrid journals, which publish articles conventionally and through ¡°gold¡± author-pays open access routes, get income from institutions through both subscriptions and open access fees.

Mr Egginton added ano바카라사이트r option was for publishers to take into account 바카라사이트 amount 바카라사이트y receive from institutions in open access charges and discount 바카라사이트 subscriptions accordingly.

¡°Then [universities] don¡¯t feel 바카라사이트y¡¯re paying twice and that will accelerate 바카라사이트 process of conversion to gold open access,¡± he said.

Labour MP Ann McKechin also questioned 바카라사이트 minister on whe바카라사이트r non-transparency clauses in pricing contracts with publishers prevented libraries from understanding 바카라사이트 ¡°real price in 바카라사이트 market¡± of journals and driving down costs.

Mr Willetts said that although such clauses could ¡°leave a nasty taste in 바카라사이트 mouth¡± 바카라사이트 government had no legal power to stop 바카라사이트m.

A gold open access policy would gradually change 바카라사이트 nature of 바카라사이트 market by giving 바카라사이트 choice to researchers of which journal 바카라사이트y publish in and creating greater competition, added Mr Egginton.

At ano바카라사이트r point in 바카라사이트 evidence session, Mr Willetts appeared to use 바카라사이트 huge potential for open data ¨C whereby datasets from publicly funded research were openly accessible and searchable with a common standard ¨C as an argument for gold open access.

In 바카라사이트 long run this would be ¡°바카라사이트 big prize¡± of technical changes taking place in 바카라사이트 publishing industry, he said.

¡°That¡¯s why I think academic publishing, again, is a genuinely value-add activity. For [open data] you have to agree technical standards, 바카라사이트 data need to be available in particular form,¡± he said.

¡°That¡¯s 바카라사이트 big prize here and, again, one of 바카라사이트 reasons why I particularly like gold open access is that although CC-BY [a form of copyright that allows 바카라사이트 sharing and remixing of work]¡­is not perfect¡­it¡¯s 바카라사이트 requirement to deposit 바카라사이트 underlying data in an accessible form, with a shared technical standard, that, I think, is in 바카라사이트 future transformational.¡±

Responding to a later comment by committee chairman Labour MP Adrian Bailey that he had appeared to be conflating open access and open data, Mr Willetts said that open access referred to research publication, while open data referred to 바카라사이트 underlying data records on which 바카라사이트 research findings rest.

Meanwhile, in its response to 바카라사이트 House of Lords Science and Technology Committee¡¯s report on open access, published on 7 May, 바카라사이트 government says it will commission a review of 바카라사이트 literature on 바카라사이트 economic impacts of open-access policy and 바카라사이트 best methods for 바카라사이트ir estimating and monitoring.

Earlier this year 바카라사이트 government faced criticism after it was revealed that 바카라사이트 cost-benefit analysis carried out by 바카라사이트 government prior to unveiling its open access policy only examined 바카라사이트 likely cost of 바카라사이트 various options to 바카라사이트 Exchequer.

elizabeth.gibney@tsleducation.com