Open Access Publishing Pathfinder
Created by Clyde Smith (2003)
Update coming - Spring 2007
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Entering the World of Open Access Publishing
Open access publishing is developing at a rapid pace that was unexpected
only a few years ago. Greeted with widespread acclaim and dismissive
complaints, the open access movement is shaking up academic publishing
in ways that affect not only researchers, publishers and librarians, but
also the lives of those who depend on emerging research.
But what is open access publishing? To help answer that question,
I've designed this three page online pathfinder to help orient you to
the terrain of open access. This orientation begin with an Introduction
to Open Access below.
Page 2 - To
understand open access we must consider both the stars of the movement,
Open
Access Journals, and their less publicized brethren, Open
Access Archives. While scientific researchers and journal publishers
get much of the attention, we will also consider Libraries
and Open Access.
Page 3 - As
you examine various sites you will find the names of certain projects
and institutions appearing repeatedly. You may want to find out
more about these Movers
and Shakers. And once you're packed full of open access knowledge,
you may find yourself in the mood to Start
Your Own Journal. Whether or not you're ready for that step,
you'll certainly want to Keep
Track of Developments.
I hope you find this pathfinder of use and, if you have any comments
or suggestions, please do write. Clyde F. Smith: clydesmith105(at)yahoo(dot)com
Introduction to Open Access
Open access publishing is typically understood to involve online dissemination
of peer-reviewed research, especially research supported by public funds,
with no cost for the reader. The move to open access has been inspired
by the spiraling costs of journals, the desires of scientists to freely
distribute their research and the availability of the Internet as a publishing
medium. Libraries are strongly affected by this development and
the Association of Research Libraries is involved in many ways, including
providing the introductory guide Framing
the Issue: Open Access and the co-sponsored Policy Perspective To
Publish and Perish.
Other groups, like the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition,
are also providing information for becoming involved with open access
publishing including Create
Change, a guide to reclaiming scholarly communication for librarians
and faculty. As the movement has built, important figures like Harold
Varmus, former director of the National Institutes of Health, have become
involved. Varmus explains the context for his involvement with open
access and the founding of the Public Library of Science in an interview
entitled Freedom
Fighter. Varmus also addresses the many misperceptions regarding
open access publishing in this interview.
Although relatively little peer-reviewed research of open access has
been published, media coverage has been quite extensive with a focus on
scholarly journals. Unfortunately, much of this coverage is simply
a series of quotations from competing parties that reveals that most reporters
are currently unable to fully investigate the issues. Nevertheless,
one can gain a sense of the overall debate from such articles as The
Promise and Peril of 'Open Access' from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
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Clyde Smith can be reached at: clydesmith(at)culturalresearch(dot)org
Content ©1994-2007 Clyde Smith
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