SCOAP3 and Open Access

SCOAP3 is an innovative Open Access initiative for publishing in high-energy physics. The model is viewed by many as a potential solution to multiple issues related to the financial crisis, the peer review system, scholarly communication, and the need to support institutional repositories. This installment of “The Balance Point” presents articles written by three Open Access advocates, outlining the SCOAP3 proposal, benefits of participation, and some of the roles libraries, publishers and scientists can play in making important changes to scholarly communication. Contributors discuss scalability and transferability issues of SCOAP3, as well as other matters of concern.     

Open Access: A Review of an Emerging Phenomenon

Abstract

Discussion about Open Access (OA) has dominated industry news for the past two years. Librarians and publishers alike are attempting to fully grasp the implications of different business models on various issues, including costs, peer review, funding mechanisms, value, and archives. While there is general agreement about the importance of broadening access to scientific literature, there is disagreement on how this is best achieved in a financially responsible fashion. This article looks at some of the questions surrounding Open Access journals as well as the role publishing plays in the continuum of science in general, particularly with regard to membership organizations.     

The Profit Squeeze and Its Effect on the Faxon Company from 1975–1994

Abstract

Open Access is increasingly considered the most logical and hopeful solution to ease the burden on library budgets, as well as the best way to unshackle research findings—its primary role. But is Open Access the panacea for all the ills that currently beset those of us dedicated to the dissemination and preservation of good quality academic research? In this article, Richard Gedye (Sales Director, Oxford Journals) explores the background to one of Oxford Journals' current Open Access initiatives and explains some elements of the model adopted. He also offers his personal opinions on the significant role librarians could play in the Open Access story.     

Open Access Mandates and Policies: The Basics

Abstract

Universities can afford to subscribe to only a small percentage of available scholarly journals. Consequently, researchers do not have access to all articles in journals pertinent to their fields of study. The Open Access (OA) movement began in response to wanting to find a solution to this “serials crisis” and the availability of the Internet to disseminate scholarly research in new and innovative ways to a larger, worldwide audience. OA mandates are policies adopted by research institutions, universities, or funders that require researchers to provide free, unrestricted access to their published research by publishing in OA journals, depositing their articles in an OA repository or both. This edition of “In Lay Terms” provides basic information about OA mandates and policies, gives an overview of university and funder OA mandates, discusses geographic differences in policies and compliance rates, and reviews United States federal funding agencies’ OA policies and Plan S.     

Author disincentives and open access

Abstract

All parties in the scholarly-information marketplace agree that any Open Access (OA) system will have to account for the costs of disseminating scholarly information and of editing, publishing and distributing it. There has been less discussion of the fact that for an OA forum to succeed, it will have to be accepted and supported by authors. Author charges, a relative lack of prestige, and the required abdication of copyright are three characteristics of many currently emerging OA models that may pose significant barriers to author acceptance. These will have to be addressed if OA providers wish to be competitive with non-OA providers.     

The “Green” and “Gold” Roads to Open Access: The Case for Mixing and Matching

Abstract

Recent discussions on Open Access (OA) have tended to treat OA journals and self-archiving as two distinct routes. Some supporters of self-archiving even suggest that it alone can bring about full Open Access to the world's scientific literature. In this paper, it is argued that each route actually corresponds to a phase in the movement toward Open Access; that the mere fact of self-archiving is not enough; that providing some branding ability to the repositories is needed. However, doing so will eventually bring about the creation of overlay (or database) journals. The two roads, therefore, will merge to create a mature OA landscape.     

Transforming Access to Research Literature for Developing Countries

Abstract

The economic development of a country depends heavily on its scientific strength and ability to resolve problems in such areas as public health, infectious disease, environmental management, or industrial progress. Access to research information traditionally depends on ability to pay, which has a negative impact on developing countries. A number of new initiatives address this imbalance, ranging from consortial licensing and new publishing models to the Open Access Initiative, and have the ability to meet the needs of research in financially constrained countries. The advent of the Open Access strategies, particularly interoperable institutional archives, has the potential to revolutionize access to essential research.     

An Integrative View of the Institutional Repositories in Hong Kong: Strategies and Challenges

Abstract

This paper reports on the developmental strategies, challenges and directions of the institutional repositories of the higher educational institutions in Hong Kong. The study integrates the size, content, full text and public accessibility of these repositories. The paper also compares archived output with research output as registered by the Hong Kong University Grants Committee. Percentages of archived work are low for journal and conference papers, but moderate for graduate theses. These deposit rates reflect the differing institutional policies. In recognizing these challenges, the Hong Kong Open Access Committee has been formed to address regional issues in knowledge sharing.     

Open Access: How Are Publishers Reacting?

Abstract

Open Access (OA)—defined simply as “free, unrestricted access (to primary research articles) for everyone”—exists in various forms. Authors can achieve OA either by self-archiving their articles on the Web or by publishing in an OA journal. OA journals themselves may adopt a model of delayed OA, partial (or hybrid) OA, or full, immediate OA. But for any of these alternative models of cost recovery to work, it is necessary to know what the real costs are. More research is needed to begin to evaluate the financial and nonfinancial effects of Open Access on all those involved.     

Serial conversations: a man for all reasons: an interview with clifford lynch

Abstract

In July 2004, Cindy Hepfer asked friends and colleagues: “What question would you like to ask Clifford Lynch if you had the chance?” As a result, Clifford Lynch discusses a wide variety of topics and issues impacting the serials community from Open Access, institutional repositories, what we can learn from Google and Amazon, and Shibboleth to where his favorite places are to travel and how he prepares for presentations.     

An Empirical Analysis of the Amount of Publication Fees

Among the financing strategies available for Open Access (OA), the author-pays business model has received increasing attention. The consequences of this approach, however, for the system of scholarly communication and for publishing houses as participants in value added, have remained largely unclear. The paper presented here, therefore, analyzes the probable realistic magnitude of publishing fees in different subjects, based on empirical data. The paper shows that the most favorable conditions are met in the Natural Sciences and in Mathematics. However, the analysis also shows that publishing houses would have to raise publishing fees well beyond the level that scientists are willing to pay. Furthermore, the analysis leads to the conclusion that the amount of money currently available in the system of scholarly communication is probably not sufficient for the sustainable financing of publishing fees.     

Web of Deception: Misinformation on the Internet

Abstract

“Serials Spoken Here” has reports on a symposium on “The Transition to Open Access Scholarship” held at the University at Albany, New York, and the 2004 North Carolina Serials Conference, both held in April 2004.     

Global Information Needs before and after the Web

Abstract

A co-editor of “The Balance Point” column looks back at its twenty-year history, its current function and its future in serving the serials professional and scholarly community. The author examines how the column emerged as an idea by then Serials Review editor Cindy Hepfer in 1988 to be a forum on important serials issues for practitioners who might not otherwise write formally on these topics. The column has continued though the 1990s and 2000s to provide that function, as well as serve as an important place where authors are invited to explore serial issues much in need of a balanced approach. The author shares comments from past “Balance Point” column editors, John Riddick, Mary Beth Clack, Ellen Finnie Duranceau, Karen Cargille, Markel Tumlin, and Kay Johnson on how they regarded the column, the rewards and challenges they faced, and how they see the future of this format in an evolving electronic communication milieu.     

British Publications of Note on Serials

Abstract

Three years ago, the Gold and Green Roads to Open Access were viewed as complementary strategies, with repositories having the potential of gradually behaving more like journals, and vice versa. Since then, repositories and journals have been progressing on parallel tracks. Re-examining the situation, the reasoning suggested in 2004 appears still valid. Simultaneously, a knowledge economy has made of science a strategic resource. The developing world is essentially invited to contribute to world science with little or no regard to the development of an autonomous scientific capacity. Open Access, in this context, takes a new meaning with one objective to help development of local and autonomous scientific capacity. However, to do so, mixing and matching repositories with journals is needed. Brazil exemplifies this type of development and shows how the Green and Gold roads can mix and match.     

Exploring Accessibility in DOAJ: A Case Study

Abstract

This study explores the accessibility of HTML articles indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). The researchers tested a random sample of journals that possessed the DOAJ seal of approval, added content in 2019, were published in English and had 50 or more indexed articles. From this sample, HTML full-text articles were randomly selected for accessibility testing, using the W3C Easy Checks. 131 journals on 22 platforms were reviewed. All content reviewed provided unique web page titles. The majority of articles reviewed allowed for increases in text size and had meaningful heading structure. The application of alternative text tags for images and form labels was inconsistent, as was the ability to use keyboard controls for page navigation. Further, most content did not clearly indicate cursor location. The most egregious accessibility issues came from design choices, which generated a variety of contrast errors. More in-depth studies of DOAJ and other OA indexes and content providers are recommended, as is requiring adherence to WCAG 2.0 accessibility criteria as a condition of article submission.