Opening the Academy Why Research Results Should be Accessible Town Peterson University of Kansas
Opening the AcademyWhy Research Results Should be
Accessible
Town PetersonUniversity of Kansas
What is Science?• Curious people with questions about
how the world works• A framework about how to ask and
answer those questions• Careful attention to what evidence
does and does not say
How Do Scientists Communicate?
Conceive
Research
Idea
Submit Paper
Write Paper
Do Resear
ch
Secure Resear
ch Fundin
g
Paper Publish
ed
Editor Accept
s
Reviewers
Consider
Editor Receiv
es
Subscription Fees
Access Charge
sPage
Charges
Science Communication
• 8500 physicians publishing on hepatitis C
• Each dot is a scientist, each line is a collaboration
• http://social-physics.net/tag/science/
Science Communication II
Major Trends in Scholarly Communication• Society-published, low-cost journals
are rare• Commercial entities own most
journals• Costs of journals rise ~12% PER
YEAR• E.g., KU spends $4.5M yearly on
journals• An entirely unsustainable system …
Conceive
Research
Idea
Submit Paper
Write Paper
Do Resear
ch
Secure Resear
ch Fundin
g
Paper Publish
ed
Editor Accept
s
Reviewers
Consider
Editor Receiv
es
Subscription Fees
Access Charge
sPage
Charges
IS Access a Problem?• Journal costs tax library resources• High costs exclude academics based
at smaller institutions and developing-world institutions
• The general public is excluded almost entirely
What Does It Feel Like?
What Does It Feel Like?
What Does It Feel Like?
What Does It Feel Like?• A relative in the hospital with an odd
problem• A new insect or fungus in your
garden• Curiosity about the origin of life• Why do scientists keep changing the
message about whether coffee is good for you?
Is There Hope?• Open access movement – raising awareness• Open access journals• Change the rules of the game• Open access institutional policies• Open access activism: Elsevier Boycott• Making it political: Obama’s important steps
Is There Hope?• Open access movement – raising awareness• Open access journals• Change the rules of the game• Open access institutional policies• Open access activism: Elsevier Boycott• Making it political: Obama’s important steps
Is There Hope?• Open access movement – raising awareness• Open access journals• Change the rules of the game• Open access institutional policies• Open access activism: Elsevier Boycott• Making it political: Obama’s important steps
Is There Hope?• Open access movement – raising awareness• Open access journals• Change the rules of the game• Open access institutional policies• Open access activism: Elsevier Boycott• Making it political: Obama’s important steps
Is There Hope?• Open access movement – raising awareness• Open access journals• Change the rules of the game• Open access institutional policies• Open access activism: Elsevier Boycott• Making it political: Obama’s important steps
Is There Hope?• Open access movement – raising awareness• Open access journals• Change the rules of the game• Open access institutional policies• Open access activism: Elsevier Boycott• Making it political: Obama’s important steps
Where Are We Going?• Slowly, academia is waking up to its
problems• Diverse solutions are emerging to
openness• Many challenges remain• 5-10 yr from now? An open scholarly
literature