It’s time for universities to reclaim publishing rights

Unless universities are bolder, open-access policies will leave control of publicly funded research in commercial publishers’ hands, says Debby Shorley, director of library services at Imperial College London: 

Maybe the real benefit of the Finch report is not that it gives us a solution—it doesn’t—but that it has sparked discussion in high places. It may make those involved in publicly funded research bold enough to turn the current scholarly communications model on its head and allow our universities to regain control of their intellectual capital by disseminating the research they produce. (…)  Publishing skills are publishing skills. What stops us from bringing them in-house, and using the prestige of our universities as brands?