Open access: evidence-based policy or policy-based evidence? The university press perspective

Martin Richardson

doi:10.1629/1835

Abstract

Serials: The Journal for the Serials Community has been digitised and can be accessed in full on this website. All content is freely available on an open-access basis. Serials was published between 1988 and 2011. In 2012, the journal was retitled and is now published as Insights: the UKSG journal.

Highlights

There are many evolving models for publishing and distributing research information and, whilst this can seem confusing, ensuring that many avenues are explored rather than just one helps us avoid moving too far along one road only to find that we meet a dead-end
At Oxford Journals, a division of Oxford University Press, we are taking the approach of active experimentation to the problems of open access, using a variety of different distribution methods
Our online journal content is widely licensed through aggregator services; we offer free online access to developing countries and free access to back-issue archives

Summary

Introduction

There are many evolving models for publishing and distributing research information and, whilst this can seem confusing, ensuring that many avenues are explored rather than just one helps us avoid moving too far along one road only to find that we meet a dead-end. At Oxford Journals, a division of Oxford University Press, we are taking the approach of active experimentation to the problems of open access, using a variety of different distribution methods These include: a) subscriptions and free online access b) several different forms of open access c) free access for authors d) working in collaboration with SHERPA (Securing a Hybrid Environment for Research Preservation and Access) to test the viability of institutional repositories. Case Study One: Nucleic Acids Research Nucleic Acids Research (NAR) is an established, high-impact journal that on 1 January 2005 has made the switch from the traditional subscription model to full open access This move was not taken lightly, and was based on over a year of experimentation (the annual database issue having been moved to full open access in January 2004) and of market research (both with authors – from whom there was overwhelming support to make this change – and librarians). Articles are searchable via the OULS pilot institutional repository, and are available free of charge to researchers across the globe

Does free access mean higher usage?

Findings

Next steps