Abstract
In 2018, the Swedish library consortium, Bibsam, decided to cancel big deal subscriptions with Elsevier. Many researchers (<em>n</em> = 4,221) let their voices be heard in a survey on the consequences of the cancellation. Almost a third of them (<em>n</em> = 1,241) chose to leave free-text responses to the survey question ‘Is there anything you would like to add?’. A content analysis on these responses resulted in six themes and from these, three main conclusions are drawn. First, there is no consensus among researchers on whether the cancellation was for good or evil. The most common argument in favour of the cancellation was the principle. The most common argument against cancellation was that it harms researchers and research. A third of the free-text responses expressed ambivalence towards the cancellation, typically as a conflict between wanting to change the current publishing system and simultaneously suffering from the consequences of the cancellation. The general support for open access in principle reveals a flawed publishing system, as most feel the pressure to publish in prestigious journals behind paywalls in practice. Second, it was difficult for researchers to take a position for or against cancellation due to their limited knowledge of the ongoing work of higher education institutions and library consortia. Finally, there are indications that the cancellation made researchers reflect on open access and to some extent alter their publication pattern through their choice of copyright licence and publication channel.
Highlights
The decision of the Swedish library consortium, Bibsam, to cancel their agreement with Elsevier in the spring of 20181 stirred a lot of attention,‘This was the first time a so-called big deal ...both in the Swedish research community and in international media.[2] was withdrawn fromSuddenly, researchers were faced with the consequences of the closed, all organizations’subscription-based publishing system
Elsevier is the largest scholarly publisher that Bibsam negotiates with and Swedish researchers were expected to be affected by the cancellation quickly
The themes include 1) Argument in favour of the cancellation, 2) Argument opposed to the cancellation, 3) Elicited attitudes among researchers, 4) The conflict should be resolved, 5) Uncertainty makes it difficult to take a position and 6) Questionnaire technique
Summary
The decision of the Swedish library consortium, Bibsam, to cancel their agreement with Elsevier in the spring of 20181 stirred a lot of attention,‘This was the first time a so-called big deal ...both in the Swedish research community and in international media.[2] was withdrawn fromSuddenly, researchers were faced with the consequences of the closed, all organizations’subscription-based publishing system. Swedish vice-chancellors had favoured open access (OA) and deemed unreasonable the unwillingness of Elsevier to negotiate an agreement that combined the cost for subscriptions and OA publishing. This was the first time a so-called big deal, including many journals researchers were used to having immediate access to, was withdrawn from all organizations at once – and, with the largest scholarly publisher at that. According to a large-scale survey of readers of scholarly publications (n = 10,977), a significant share of the research articles read is instead accessed from free resources. Researchers in wealthier countries do not have this habit.[8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
