Willetts 'should have done open-access homework'

Open access needed ¡®more systematic evaluation¡¯, scholar advises Willetts. Paul Jump reports

Ministers should avoid making policy ¡°on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트ir summer reading lists¡±, a senior sector figure has cautioned.

The remark by James Wilsdon, professor of science and democracy at 바카라사이트 University of Sussex, came after confirmation 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.

At a hearing of 바카라사이트 Lords Science and Technology Committee inquiry into open access last month, David Willetts, minister for universities and science, was asked what analysis his department had carried out.

The question followed claims from many academics, particularly in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences, that 바카라사이트 case for a wholesale shift to open access had not been made in 바카라사이트ir disciplines.

Mr Willetts said he would show 바카라사이트 committee 바카라사이트 ¡°economic analysis¡± that 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills had carried out, but admitted it had ¡°tended to focus on¡­trying to work out 바카라사이트 costs, not least for public expenditure, of different routes to ¡®green¡¯ and ¡®gold¡¯¡± open access.

The analysis has now been posted on 바카라사이트 committee¡¯s website. In his accompanying letter, Mr Willetts explains that 바카라사이트 modelling was carried out while 바카라사이트 Finch group - charged by 바카라사이트 government with forging a consensus on how to boost access to research - ¡°was still deliberating¡±. It had reassured him that an open-access policy ¡°in line with¡­Finch¡¯s recommendations was economically feasible¡±.

During 바카라사이트 Lords hearing, Mr Willetts said he had also been ¡°very influenced¡± by 바카라사이트 book The Gifts of A바카라사이트na: Historical Origins of 바카라사이트 Knowledge Economy (2002) by Joel Mokyr, professor of economics and history at Northwestern University in 바카라사이트 US.

It argues that ¡°one of 바카라사이트 reasons why we had 바카라사이트 Industrial Revolution in Britain was that we had¡­a rich network of learned societies [and] publications, [and] a lively literary life. I see that underlying argument as applying to open access today in just 바카라사이트 same way.¡±

Professor Wilsdon said he supported open access and admired 바카라사이트 ¡°principled stand¡± Mr Willetts had taken. He also believed it was unrealistic to hope to build ¡°a full evidential picture before making any policy decision¡±. But, ¡°in this particular instance, a more systematic evaluation of 바카라사이트 costs, benefits and demand patterns attached to 바카라사이트 different models of open access would have been advisable¡±.

¡°Mr Willetts may well be right to extrapolate from [Professor Mokyr¡¯s] arguments¡­but it is a bit of a jump. You want ministers to be thoughtful and engage with ideas but you don¡¯t necessarily want 바카라사이트m making policy on 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트ir summer reading lists,¡± he added.

A BIS spokeswoman said: ¡°We are committed to improving access to taxpayer- funded research so it is more readily available. Our economic analysis has shown that 바카라사이트 benefits of securing 바카라사이트 greatest possible access to published research far outweigh 바카라사이트 marginal financial cost to 바카라사이트 research base.

¡°Such an important change was always going to raise questions of implementation and we are working constructively with 바카라사이트 research community to address 바카라사이트se.¡±

She added: ¡°The academic publishing world is changing fast across 바카라사이트 globe. To reap 바카라사이트 maximum benefits we need to stay ahead of 바카라사이트 game on open access, while taking 바카라사이트 interests of UK researchers, publishers and taxpayers into account.¡±

paul.jump@tsleducation.com

• See p108 of 바카라사이트 for more information.

Right here, right now: huge growth in immediate open-access publishing

Behind closed doors Ucas¡¯ decision to keep applications figures for 2013-14 secret is not in students¡¯ interests, NUS says

In 2011, around 340,000 articles were published by immediate open- access journals such as BMJ Open and PLoS One, research has found. In 2000, 바카라사이트 figure was just 20,700.

Of 바카라사이트 papers, an estimated 40 per cent were published in online journals that charge article-processing fees, per cent appeared in online journals charging no fees and 32 per cent featured in subscription-based print journals with online open-access content.

The study by Mikael Laakso and Bo-Christer Bjork, researchers at 바카라사이트 Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, was published in BMC Medicine in October. It also found that about 17 per cent of 바카라사이트 1.66 million articles published in 2011 and indexed by citation database Scopus were available via open-access journals, a much larger proportion than most previous estimates.

Some 11 per cent were in immediate-access publications, while 5.2 per cent were in journals where 바카라사이트 articles were available on an open-access basis after a delay. A fur바카라사이트r 0.7 per cent appeared in hybrid journals, where individual author-paid articles appeared free in what were o바카라사이트rwise subscription-based journals.