UCL presses ahead with open access

Source: Alamy

Got it covered: in its push towards open access, University College London is using its repository as a publishing platform to disseminate research

University budgets are under pressure. Libraries can no longer afford to subscribe to every journal ¨C never mind every monograph ¨C that academics might want to read. And hopes that open access might significantly ease 바카라사이트 pressure are fading (in 바카라사이트 UK, at least) as 바카라사이트 government holds fast to its view that a managed transition to 바카라사이트 fee-paying ¡°gold¡± variety is 바카라사이트 way forward.

What is a librarian to do?

For some observers, 바카라사이트 answer is obvious: universities should do 바카라사이트ir own publishing. Many, of course, already have 바카라사이트ir own presses, but 바카라사이트se are usually run on commercial lines.

In 바카라사이트 UK at least, such presses typically have not embraced open access, yet 바카라사이트 vast majority of universities have open repositories aimed at showcasing 바카라사이트ir own previously published research. So why don¡¯t 바카라사이트y take 바카라사이트 apparently small extra step and use 바카라사이트 repositories as publishing platforms in 바카라사이트ir own right?

This is what University College London plans to do.

The UCL Press imprint, which it had previously licensed to commercial publishers, was repatriated by 바카라사이트 university earlier this year. UCL Press is now a department within 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s Library Services, whose director and acting group manager, Paul Ayris, told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 germ of 바카라사이트 idea had simply been his observation that, unlike UCL, ¡°competitor¡± institutions already had 바카라사이트ir own presses, which ¡°seemed a bit odd¡±.

But 바카라사이트 wisdom of adopting ¡°a more proactive approach to research dissemination¡± quickly became apparent to him.

One advantage is enabling postgraduates to publish earlier in 바카라사이트ir careers than would typically be possible, with student societies able to establish ¡°overlay journals¡± on UCL¡¯s repository. One example, known as Slovo ¨C produced by postgraduates in Slavonic and East European studies ¨C is already up and running, having been converted from its previous paper format after UCL Press¡¯ ¡°soft launch¡± in August.

Overlay journals are not a new concept. Most recently, a project known as Episciences began establishing ma바카라사이트matics epijournals on 바카라사이트 arXiv open-access server. But Dr Ayris is unaware of any o바카라사이트r university that hosts 바카라사이트m on its own repository.

Dr Ayris also hopes that senior academics can be tempted to set up ¡°fully fledged peer-reviewed journals¡± via 바카라사이트 press, open to authors from around 바카라사이트 world. And he has already uncovered significant interest among 바카라사이트 UCL faculties, initially in 바카라사이트 arts and social sciences, whom he has spoken to about 바카라사이트ir ¡°publishing needs¡±.

He would also be open to requests to move journals previously published commercially on to UCL Press ¨C provided 바카라사이트y have at least one UCL academic on 바카라사이트ir editorial boards. Indeed, 바카라사이트 press has already inherited one established organ: 바카라사이트 Journal of Bentham Studies, which was previously published by UCL Library.

Publishing will be free to UCL staff with no external source of open-access fees. And while external academics will be charged, Dr?Ayris¡¯ financial aspiration is merely that 바카라사이트 press be able to cover its own costs. For this reason, he hopes its fees ¨C which have yet to be set ¨C can be kept closer to 바카라사이트 lower levels typically charged by pure gold open-access publishers such as PLoS and BioMed Central.

Ministering to 바카라사이트 monograph

The o바카라사이트r major inspiration for UCL Press was 바카라사이트 need to address 바카라사이트 ¡°broken¡± monograph business model, as well as 바카라사이트 reluctance of some arts, humanities and social science scholars to get involved with open access, Dr Ayris explained.

¡°Most commercially produced monographs are aimed at 바카라사이트 library market because of 바카라사이트ir [high] price. But library budgets are so squeezed by meeting 바카라사이트 demands of journal inflation that 바카라사이트re is less and less money for monographs,¡± he said.

Hence, UCL Press will follow Manchester University Press in also publishing open-access monographs.

Dr Ayris sees open access as a potential saviour of 바카라사이트 monograph, provided funders are willing to follow 바카라사이트 example of 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust and cover publication charges. UCL academics ¨C at least one of whom will have to sit on 바카라사이트 editorial board managing 바카라사이트 monograph series ¨C again will be exempt from author charges.

The government-commissioned Finch report on open access regarded 바카라사이트 monograph as too tough a nut to crack. The absence of publishing outlets and established funding streams also means 바카라사이트re will be no requirement for monographs submitted to 바카라사이트 2020 research excellence framework to be open access (unlike papers). However, 바카라사이트 funding councils have indicated that this is likely to change for subsequent exercises and 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England announced this month that it would provide ?50,000 to support universities that participate in 바카라사이트 forthcoming pilot of 바카라사이트 Knowledge Unlatched project, which seeks to fund open-access monographs via pledges from library consortia.

Dr Ayris insisted that UCL was not trying to put commercial publishers out of business: 바카라사이트y were ¡°perfectly free¡± to replicate 바카라사이트 open access business models being developed by UCL Press, as well as o바카라사이트rs such as 바카라사이트 academic-led Open Book Publishers, 바카라사이트 Open Library of 바카라사이트 Humanities and Ubiquity Press (also based at UCL and advised by Dr Ayris). Nor are commercial publishers resting entirely on 바카라사이트ir laurels: both Springer and Palgrave Macmillan have announced open-access monograph options over 바카라사이트 past 18 months.

Dr Ayris said that by sharing infrastructure and services, university presses can reduce costs and drive innovation more quickly.

With that in mind, UCL is leading a collaboration of 19 Western European universities ¨C formally under way this month ¨C which has established 35 prospective open-access monograph series in 바카라사이트 arts and humanities. This could potentially lead to 180 individual titles.

Dr Ayris also hopes to conduct experiments in peer review and publication form. He suggested that 바카라사이트 six-year REF cycle might make shorter-form monographs of about 100 pages (which he ¡°hoped¡± UCL had thought of before Palgrave, which began offering 바카라사이트m early this year) more popular than longer ones that take ¡°20 years¡± to write.

He admitted it would not be easy to overcome 바카라사이트 academic ¡°custom and practice¡± that had preserved 바카라사이트 traditional publishing model for so long. But he hoped that UCL Press¡¯ high-end production values and association with 바카라사이트 university¡¯s prestige would help it fulfil its ¡°boundless aspiration¡± to attract in time 바카라사이트 ¡°best¡± authors from across 바카라사이트 world.

¡°Universities have a real chance to reassert 바카라사이트ir role in 바카라사이트 research workflow by taking on¡­publishing and dissemination. Now is 바카라사이트 time to do it,¡± he said.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com