CILIP Scotland 2019: Open Access, Plan S and New Models for Academic Publishing

Abstract

Open Access, Plan S and New Models for Academic Publishing

Library Research Support Teams Scholarly Communications Team • Provides support for staff and students regarding Open Access publications

• Advises on matters to do with copyright

• Manages funds to pay for Open Access article-processing charges (APCs)

• Implementation of Open Access for REF

• Strategic Leadership for Plan S and Open Science

Open Access Publications

Benefits of OA

GOLD:

£1.3m from RCUK

£400k Charity Open Access Fund

Preference for green or exclusively Gold models over Hybrid

So…what is REF? • RESEARCH EXCELLENCE FRAMEWORK– successor to previous Research Assessment Exercises (RAE)

• Conducted every 6 or 7 years (last one in 2014, next exercise in 2021, submission in November 2020)

• UK national exercise to measure the quantity and quality of research carried out in UK Universities

• Outcome affects distribution of research funding

REF Submissions Include… • Statistics about staff, students and finances

• Information about the research environment

• Impact Case Studies - detailing the effect the university’s research has had on society in the wider world

• Example research outputs for each staff member returned

Scope & Timeline • Open Access Policy applies to all journal articles & conference proceedings ACCEPTED for publication from April 1st 2016 – We started work on implementation back in 2015

• We need to ensure that we are 100% compliant with this new requirement to ensure that every researcher can select any publication for inclusion in the next REF. – There will be extra credit available in “Research Environment” for doing more than the bare minimum Implications • “Any output that falls within the scope of this policy and is submitted to REF2021 but does not meet the requirements without a valid exception will be given an unclassified score and will not be assessed.”

• There is very little scope for retro-active compliance so we must ensure everyone is aware of the requirements. – There is a real risk that ‘top papers’ by senior researchers could fail to be assessed if they are not put in the repository at the point of acceptance! How has this changed things? • Open Access now affects everybody (not just holders of certain grants)

• Open Access is no longer optional, even for un-funded research

• Open Access is now being discussed amongst researchers

• Open Access can no longer be delayed, or ignored. So…what next? • Despite any difficulties – we are very much in support of the policy which essentially says “if you can make this Open Access then you must do so”.

• We are monitoring compliance – currently sitting at around 92%...so there is still work to do!!

• PLAN S will be the next big challenge for us – even more rigorous OA requirements are coming our way.

Principles of Plan S • Will *now* begin in 2021 • Will be a phased implementation • Relaxation of stringent technical rules

• No embargo periods • Predicated on expected transition to Gold • Green acceptable without embargo DORA • San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment

• Covers all kinds of research metrics

• Metrics to be used responsibly

• No single metric to be used in isolation

• University of Edinburgh first signatory in Scotland…

CWTS Leiden Rankings Annual global ranking based exclusively on bibliometric factors.

Scottish (and British) universities doing exceptionally well on Open Access

https://oascotland.wordpress.com

Open Monographs

What Open Monographs ARE • Open Access long-format publications (books)

• Published version is OA – could be an exclusively OA publisher, or a traditional publisher

• There is typically a fee to make the book open access, but there is no costs to buy or access the book.

• Content normally licenced using creative commons of some variety (liberal or more restrictive).

• Can be machine-read/text-mined.

Open Monographs ARE NOT • Necessarily lower quality that non-OA versions

• Vanity or predatory publishing – this existed before Open Access anyway. The two should not be confused.

• Replacing print copies – print on demand is almost always available – you pay for the copy not the content.

OA Monograph Policy NOT currently included in REF OA Policy or Plan S

HOWEVER

“In December 2016 the four UK Higher Education Funding Bodies announced a move towards a requirement for OA monographs in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) from 2027 onwards. New publishing routes for OA monographs are being established at a fast rate, with innovative models emerging each year.”

So...we really need to take action NOW!! “New” University Presses A number of “new” university presses have appeared in the last couple of years, including: – White Rose Press (Leeds, Sheffield and York) – UCL Press – Dublin City University – University of Westminster Press – University of Huddersfield Press – Goldsmiths Press – Cardiff University Press – University of Hertfordshire Press – University of Chester Press – University of Buckingham Press

A Selection of Publishers and Costs

Edinburgh’s journal hosting service — started in 2009 – no dedicated staff, no promotion — currently 18 student and academic-led journals — arts, humanities, social sciences and medicine — fully Open Access, Creative Commons licences, no APCs — over 140,000 full-text downloads in 2018 — Open Journal Systems (OJS) — support from Library-based developers

Scottish Universities Press Proposal • Initial discussions begun by SCURL https://scurl.ac.uk/

• Sub-group with representation from Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and GCU.

• Contractor appointed for scoping exercise

• Idea: a new, OA press collaboratively operated on behalf of all the universities and research organisations in Scotland.

We are missing opportunities! • There is an opportunity for Universities to play a greater role in the publication process.

• Each time something appears only in print, or in a closed format, we are losing out on opportunities for wider readership.

• Accessibility can only bring benefits – greater chances of collaboration, wider readership, benefit for society.

Library & University Collections The University of Edinburgh

Questions, comments, comparisons?

dominic.tate@ed.ac.uk