Open Access in the UKDevelopments since the Finch

Report

Michael JubbResearch Information Network

5th Conference on Open Access Scholarly PublishingRiga

18 September 2013

Accessibility, sustainability, excellence

The Question and the Process how to expand access, in a

sustainable way, to peer-reviewed research publications

bearing mind the strong competitive position of the UK research community

group of 13 representatives of universities, libraries, funders, learned societies, publishers different groups with different interests no perfect solution: ‘best-fit’

review meeting on 24 September

Mechanisms and Success Criteria more UK articles available

globally more global articles

available in the UK sustain high-quality research sustain high-quality services

to authors and readers financial health of publishing

and learned societies costs to HE and funders

open access articles & journals

repositories extensions to

licensed access

Conclusions no single mechanism meets all the success

criteria a mixed economy for the foreseeable future transition to OA should be accelerated in an

ordered way tensions between interests of key stakeholders, and

risks to all of them risks and costs associated with each of the three

mechanisms the global environment

promote innovation and sustain what is valuable

Recommendations balanced package of moves towards Gold, Green and

extensions to licensing clear policy direction towards Gold better funding arrangements, focusing responsibilities in

universities, not funders minimise restrictions on use and re-use develop repository infrastructure caution about limitations on embargoes future negotiations on subscriptions to take account of growth

in APC revenues expand and rationalise licensing

universities and National Health Service SMEs, voluntary and public sectors, public libraries

Initial responses Government accepts recommendations

£10m one-off transition funding RCUK policy announcement consultation on REF 2020 universities establishing publication

funds, policies, procedures and systems see RIN report: http://www.researchinfonet.org/publish/rcuk-oa-requirements/

Research Councils UK (RCUK) policies

requirement from 1 April 2013 for Gold with a CC-BY licence (preferred), or Green with 6/12 months maximum embargo (12/24

months for humanities and social sciences) block grant to universities to meet costs of APCs

assumes c45% of articles from Research Council-funded projects will be published in Gold OA journals in 2013-14, rising to 75% by 2017-18

management of publication funds in hands of universities reporting and monitoring arrangements

So how’s it going?

Implementation real momentum, but mixed progress two Parliamentary inquiries lively debate

sometimes driven by entrenched attitudes?

Balance? imbalance between

work to increase access to UK-authored publications across the world

work to increase access to global articles in the UK

Pace of change sufficient attention to detail? keeping everyone on board?

Green vs Gold Green with short embargoes (or

none) the cheap option? Gold the sustainable option? parity of esteem for Gold and Green

publications?

Funding and costs publishing costs integral to research

costs? funds from both sides of the dual

support system? uncertainties about costs to

individual universities offsets between subscription costs

and APCs?

International developments EU, Australia, Science Europe,

OSTP, Global Research Council, G8, California….

impact on UK, and on costs

Embargoes

the 6/12 and 12/24 month policy sticks and carrots?

principles for setting embargoes half-lives? disciplinary differences? protection for learned societies a separate

but important issue

Extensions to licensing

walk-in access in public libraries initiative

little progress with health service, voluntary organisations or SMEs

Infrastructure

repository infrastructure? infrastructure for Gold? interoperability and information

flows

Co-ordination

all stakeholders working together? need for a disinterested co-

ordinator?

Thank you

Questions?

Michael Jubbwww.researchinfonet.org