Open Access News

CARL congratulates SSHRC on having formally adopted the principle of open access at the October 2004 meeting of its governing council....Open access is an important development in scholarly communication: CARL believes that the issues which it raises are essential for SSHRC to address if it is to transform itself ‘from Granting Council to Knowledge Council.’ CARL notes that SSHRC already mandates the research data from its grants are made publicly available. SSHRC was a partner in the recent National Consultation on Access to Scientific Research Data (final report January 2005); and SSHRC is actively pursuing different business models for the support of the journals which it funds....“Building an effective global information system consists both of this infrastructure and perhaps more importantly a culture of open access and sharing.” (Dr. Arthur Carty, National Science Advisor to the Prime Minister.)...Since research culture thrives on the free exchange of ideas, CARL believes that full and timely access to the results of research (‘open access’) will lead to greater research impact. This premise aligns directly with SSHRC’s transformation goals....The rationale for open access is compelling. open access ensures the widest possible dissemination of research. Recent studies have found that journals without subscription barriers are read more often than those with subscriptions and have higher impact rates. Even the slightest access barriers to academic literature have a negative impact on their usage [Oldyzko, 2002]. The removal of price barriers from the research literature will “accelerate research, enrich education, share the learning of the rich with the poor and the poor with the rich, make this literature as useful as it can be, and lay the foundation for uniting humanity in a common intellectual conversation and quest for knowledge” [BOAI]....Open access promotes the full and rapid sharing of resources from different countries and disciplines. It provides an environment where information may flow not only within the academy but outside it, to policy makers and the general public. Such knowledge mobilization is one of SSHRC’s stated priorities. The argument that publicly funded research should be freely available to taxpayers is compelling. The underlying principle is: “public funding, public knowledge, public access” [Sir Gareth Roberts]....Research funders such as SSHRC have the power to play a pivotal role in advancing the cause of open access. Despite the many mechanisms available for authors to make their publications openly available, it has become increasingly apparent that they need incentives to do so. A recent survey in the UK found that most researchers “report they will not self-archive if it is not mandated, but they will self-archive - and self-archive willingly -- if ever it is mandated by their institutions or funders” [Stevan Harnad summarizing Swan and Brown]....In Canada a substantial portion of research is publicly supported, either directly through federally funded research agencies, such as SSHRC, or indirectly through the support of researchers at higher-education institutions. The implementation of open access by the three federal Granting Councils would have an important impact on how research is conducted and disseminated in Canada....It may be predicted with confidence that Canadian journals adopting open access models for publishing will increase their readership significantly. Therefore, SSHRC should consider assisting SSH journals in transitioning to open access models. SSHRC will need to change the criteria for SSHRC funding of journals. The current practice of funding based on the number of “paid” subscriptions deters Canadian journals from implementing new models to increase their readership and impact: new business models — including open access are needed to maximize dissemination and impact whilst safeguarding a healthy revenue stream. Canadian journals are the voice of the Canadian research community: all necessary steps must be taken so that the quality and impact of these journals is enhanced.

Also see CARL's first brief to the SSHRC on OA from June 2004.