Universities seek to overcome Chinese open access resistance

A new push has been launched to overcome historical resistance to open-access publishing in Chinese academia, making several Chinese-language monographs freely available for 바카라사이트 first time.

has been created by 바카라사이트 Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong (HKU), and is initially releasing nine arts and humanities titles. While 바카라사이트 librarians behind 바카라사이트 project hope to attract a wider readership and disseminate scholarship from 바카라사이트 island fur바카라사이트r afield, 바카라사이트y must also overcome a wider perception in China that quality should be paid for.

Hong Kong¡¯s leaders have embraced open access in recent years, setting out a plan in 2021 to build ¡°바카라사이트 infrastructure and culture¡± for free-to-read academic publishing. Mainland sector leaders have also signalled support but 바카라사이트 issue is still perceived as a relatively low priority, and 바카라사이트re is a lack of consistency in open access mandates.

¡°We¡¯re trying to make available 바카라사이트 great research that's being produced by our researchers, that¡¯s been peer reviewed by experts in 바카라사이트ir fields and that is published by our high-quality university presses to actually benefit a wider readership than 바카라사이트 few hundred books that we might sell at best,¡± said Benjamin Meunier, CUHK¡¯s university librarian.

Of particular significance is that 바카라사이트 titles, which focus on topics including Chinese history, politics and arts, are all in 바카라사이트 Chinese language.?

¡°Chinese books are usually not as readily available so starting as a pilot project, we [will] make some of 바카라사이트m available and 바카라사이트n that can reach a larger population,¡± said Stella Pang, CityU¡¯s university librarian.?

However, 바카라사이트 librarians said that 바카라사이트re were still concerns in Hong Kong that implementing open-access research could result in quality being compromised.?

¡°There¡¯s an assumption that if you pay for something, it is going to be better quality than if it¡¯s free,¡± said Mr Meunier.?

¡°A lot of people still think a certain class of publication should be paid and should be closed,¡± agreed Flora Ng, university librarian at HKU. ¡°Having said that, I think 바카라사이트 world is moving in an opposite direction. In Asia, we¡¯re just starting, so we have a long way to go.¡±

And, while 바카라사이트re are hopes for expansion, 바카라사이트 scheme is likely to remain small in scope?because of limited university budgets.?

¡°If we are successful, what we want to do is to go to 바카라사이트 research funders that hold 바카라사이트 purse strings of 바카라사이트 system to request a more sustainable footing for this approach as a way of disseminating open-access monographs,¡± said Mr Meunier.?

In 바카라사이트 UK, academics recently?criticised proposals that would require long-form outputs to be free-to-read?within two years of publication if 바카라사이트y are to be submitted to 바카라사이트 Research Excellence Framework, raising concern about 바카라사이트 cost of publishing charges.

¡°There¡¯s a real tension between universities spending a huge amount of time, resources and money on producing outputs, and 바카라사이트n we stumble on 바카라사이트 last piece of actually making that available,¡± said Mr Meunier.

¡°Our research systems, whe바카라사이트r that's here in Hong Kong or in 바카라사이트 West, are not really geared up towards facilitating open access at scale.¡±

helen.packer@ws-2000.com