Open access will bankrupt us, publishers¡¯ report claims

The report, The Potential Effect of Making Journal Articles Freely Available in Repositories after a Six-Month Embargo, found that 65 per cent of 바카라사이트 210 libraries that responded to a survey would cancel at least some arts, humanities and social science (AHSS) journals if a universal open-access mandate were introduced with an embargo period of six months. Nearly a quarter of libraries would cancel 바카라사이트ir humanities and social science subscriptions entirely.

Six months is 바카라사이트 standard embargo period suggested by advocates of ¡°green¡± open access, after which authors would be expected to submit 바카라사이트ir papers to institutional or subject repositories. Research Councils UK¡¯s draft new open-access policy also proposes that period, although it will accept a 12-month embargo for humanities and social science papers as a ¡°transitionary arrangement¡±.

Only 10 per cent of libraries would cancel all 바카라사이트ir subscriptions to scientific journals if a universal six-month open access embargo were introduced, while 56 per cent would cancel no subscriptions.

UK libraries would be less likely than 바카라사이트 global average to cancel subscriptions, with 바카라사이트 libraries of Russell Group universities 바카라사이트 least likely of all, according to 바카라사이트 report, commissioned by 바카라사이트 Publishers Association and 바카라사이트 Association of Learned, Professional and Society Publishers.

The report concludes that 바카라사이트 impact of a universal six-month open-access mandate on publishers¡¯ revenues would be ¡°considerable¡±.

¡°Libraries would be impacted by 바카라사이트 collapse or scaling down of academic publishing houses¡­Most publishers would be obliged to review 바카라사이트ir portfolios; and a substantial body of journals, especially in AHSS subjects, would cease or be financially imperilled,¡± it says.

By contrast, 바카라사이트 landmark Publishing and 바카라사이트 Ecology of European Research (PEER) project announced last week it had found no evidence that 바카라사이트 self-archiving of academic papers threatened journal viability.

The project, co-funded by 바카라사이트 European Commission and overseen by a group of publishers, librarians and funders, found that self-archiving actually increased 바카라사이트 number of times that papers, particularly those in 바카라사이트 life sciences, were downloaded from publishers¡¯ websites ¨C although 바카라사이트 reasons were unclear.

The PEER findings, announced at an end-of-project conference in Brussels on May 29, also indicated that 바카라사이트 vast majority of academics did not self-archive 바카라사이트ir work even when asked to do so.

Meanwhile, a petition launched last month asking 바카라사이트 Obama administration to impose an open-access mandate for all publicly funded research in 바카라사이트 US has garnered nearly 23,000 signatures to date. If 25,000 people sign it by 19 June, 바카라사이트 White House will be obliged to give an official response.

The full publishers' report is available .

paul.jump@tsleducation.com