Tag Archives: The Guardian
Live Chat: The future of open access research and publishing
Panel of experts Friday 25 October from 12-2pm BST debates peer review, pay models, quality control and corruption. Join in via chat.In this online discussion, we want to discuss the impact open access is having across the board in the higher education and publishing sectors, from researchers to universities, from libraries to the publishing giants. Here's what we're looking to discuss: • Quality control and peer review • Cost and corruption • Access and knowledge • "Publish or perish" attitude • Where now and what next?
Why open access makes no sense
There can be no such thing as free access to academic research, says Robin Osborne in Debating Open Access essays – research is a process that universities teach and charge for.The Guardian. Higher Education Network Blog.
Open access inaction
From time to time, it's important to pause the bureaucratic debate about open access and recognise how stupid scientific publishing is.The Guardian.
We cannot afford to keep research results locked away in ivory towers
Opening up British research may seem obvious, writes science minister David Willetts. But it is not just inertia that blocks this.The Guardian. Blog on Political Science.
Will open access to research achieve transparency? Your responses, please
Following David Willetts’ statement about increasing access to published academic research, let us know if you think it will achieve greater transparency.The Guardian. Blog on Political Science.
Open access and the humanities: reimagining our future
Although the open access movement has been going strong for 10 years and has had good take-up in certain scientific disciplines, such as physics, the humanities currently lack the infrastructure and funding mechanisms needed to support the transition period triggered byRCUK’s (Research Councils UK) mandate.The Guardian Higher Education Network.
Open access for the people
From April 1st this year anyone in receipt of public funding from one of the UK research councils will be required to publish their findings by an open access route. The new policy is causing an almighty row, with researchers complaining about the cost, humanities scholars railing against an agenda set by scientists, publishers and learned societies fretting about lost of income and the House of Lords criticising the haste with which the new rules have been brought into play.Stephen Curry for The Guardian.
How librarians can help widen access to research
Librarians play an important role in helping to change the ways research is disseminated.Librarians explain how libraries can help to advance to open access. The Guardian.
Historians warn minister: hands off our academic freedoms
Proposals by David Willetts are condemned by coalition of academic groups for giving universities a ‘stranglehold’ over publications: The Council for the Defence of British Universities, whose members include Sir David Attenborough, has warned of dire “unintended consequences” for creativity and freedom in British academia.The Guardian.
Those who publish research behind paywalls are victims not perpetrators
Saying this, Chris Chambers, senior research fellow in cognitive neuroscience at the school of psychology, Cardiff University, refers to Mike Taylor’s blog entry on publishing behind paywalls.
The Guardian. Blog.
Why all pharmaceutical research should be made open access
Why all pharmaceutical research should be made open accessThe government wants to make all publicly funded research available – but the same must be demanded of pharmas also.
Cory Doctorow’s column series Digital Rights, Digital Wrongs for The Guardian.
Read also this blog entry on open access to all data from clinical trials by Tom Jefferson, member of the Open Knowledge Foundation.
This article on how open data can save money refers to Tom Jefferson’s blog entry advising that
pharmaceutical companies must release all the results of their clinical trials as open data, so that independent researchers can check what has been found.
Open access in research: catch up on the debate
Open access in research: catch up on the debateThe Guardian gives a round up of some of the main views on the controversial plans concerning opening up publicly funded science and research.
See also the article “A Push Grows Abroad for Open Access to Publicly Financed Research” in The Chronicle.
UK government will enforce open access to development research
UK government will enforce open access to development researchAll studies funded by Department for International Development after 1 November will be freely available for anyone to read.
The Guardian.
UK plan for open access to research is a golden opportunity, not a cost
UK plan for open access to research is a golden opportunity, not a costStephen Curry on the costs of research referring to all reports recently published on opening up science.
Comment on European Commission’s release on opening up scienitific data
Comment on European Commission's release on opening up scienitific dataJonathan Gray from the Open Knowledge Foundation looks at what the European Commission’s recent announcement on access to scientific data could mean for science and for public engagement with science.
Gray mentions that open data is seen as open not only to scientists but also to all citizens.
The Guardian. Data Blog.
Free access to British scientific research within two years
Free access to British scientific research within two yearsRadical shakeup of academic publishing will allow papers to be put online and be accessed by universities, firms and individuals.
The Guaridian.
Wellcome Trust will penalise scientists who don’t embrace open access
Wellcome Trust will penalise scientists who don't embrace open accessThe U.K. Wellcome Trust enters a decisive strategy to promote and sustain their open access policies.
The Wellcome Trust plans to withhold a portion of grant money from scientists who do not make the results of their work freely available to the public, in a move that will embolden supporters of the growing open access movement in science. In addition, any research papers that are not freely available will not be counted as part of a scientist’s track record when Wellcome assesses any future applications for research funding.
The Guaridan.
We love your work… now show us your workings
We love your work… now show us your workingsJohn Naughton, The Observer, says that the Royal Society has overlooked the fact that for more open access, scientists should not only publish or make accessible data but also homemade software used by the scientists to get data needs to be published.
The Guardian / The Observer.
Expanding access to research publications
Expanding access to research publicationsUK: Further steps towards full open access environment.
The report of the Working Group chaired by Dame Janet Finch published on 18 June recommends a programme of action to enable more people to read and use the publications arising from research. Better, faster communication of research results will bring benefits for public services and for economic growth.
See also articles by The Guardian and Reuters and comments by Cameron Neylon and Stephen Curry.
Open access to research is inevitable, says Nature editor-in-chief
Open access to research is inevitable, says Nature editor-in-chiefPhilipp Campbell, editor-in-chief of Nature said at a briefing by academic publishers on open access at the Science Media Centre:
“In the future, there will be text mining and tools … that need to get into that literature - I see that as a key part of the future and it’s hard to see how that could work without open access.”
The Guardian.
Text mining: what do publishers have against this hi-tech research tool?
Text mining: what do publishers have against this hi-tech research tool?Researchers push for end to publishers’ default ban on computer scanning of tens of thousands of papers to find links between genes and diseases.
The Guadian.
Attacking publishers will not make open access any more sustainable
Attacking publishers will not make open access any more sustainablePublishers fully support expanding access to publicly funded research but only as part of a model that is financially viable.
The Guardian.
US petition could tip the scales in favour of open access publishing
US petition could tip the scales in favour of open access publishingYou do not need to be a US citizen to sign the petition for open access.
The internet: citizen scientists demonstrate the power of collaboration
The internet: citizen scientists demonstrate the power of collaborationThe guardian:
Thanks to the web, few areas of human inquiry remain out of our immediate reach