Comments on: Open access now mandated at Harvard http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2008/02/16/open-access-now-mandated-at-harvard/ Thoughts by Stephen Soldz on war, peace, politics, psychoanalysis, and research methods Sat, 22 Nov 2008 10:40:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Elizabeth Pisani http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2008/02/16/open-access-now-mandated-at-harvard/#comment-151818 Elizabeth Pisani Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:11:01 +0000 http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2008/02/16/open-access-now-mandated-at-harvard/#comment-151818 I am <a href="http://www.wisdomofwhores.com/2008/02/18/open-access-publishing-harvard-ups-the-ante/" rel="nofollow">greatly in favour</a> of anything that increases public access to research. I do agree, however, that we don't necessarily want to swap "pay per issue" through "pay per view" (both putting the burden on the consumer of science) to "pay per publication" which puts the burden on the producer. But many of the costs of publication would essentially evaporate if we went to a 100% online model. I'd be interested to know what the unit cost per paper is for Nature vs PLoS. I am greatly in favour of anything that increases public access to research. I do agree, however, that we don’t necessarily want to swap “pay per issue” through “pay per view” (both putting the burden on the consumer of science) to “pay per publication” which puts the burden on the producer.
But many of the costs of publication would essentially evaporate if we went to a 100% online model. I’d be interested to know what the unit cost per paper is for Nature vs PLoS.

]]> By: Philip Small http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2008/02/16/open-access-now-mandated-at-harvard/#comment-151644 Philip Small Sun, 17 Feb 2008 03:55:54 +0000 http://psychoanalystsopposewar.org/blog/2008/02/16/open-access-now-mandated-at-harvard/#comment-151644 I doubt Harvard, or even the smallest educational institution, is going to make faculty pay for meeting a mandate to self archive with open access. An electronic open access repository is a pretty inexpensive component of a University's library capability in the whole scheme of things. Plus it attracts talent thus conceivably it "pays" for itself. Open access of a specific model does work by having the authors pay, but there are several models that don't, as the Harvard example attests to, and as the success of self archiving in combination with traditional publishing attests to. Harvard faculty are adopting open access as a means of professional/academic survival. Traditional scientific publishing (transfer of copyright in lieu of payment) will also adapt as a means of survival. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I doubt Harvard, or even the smallest educational institution, is going to make faculty pay for meeting a mandate to self archive with open access. An electronic open access repository is a pretty inexpensive component of a University’s library capability in the whole scheme of things. Plus it attracts talent thus conceivably it “pays” for itself.

Open access of a specific model does work by having the authors pay, but there are several models that don’t, as the Harvard example attests to, and as the success of self archiving in combination with traditional publishing attests to.

Harvard faculty are adopting open access as a means of professional/academic survival. Traditional scientific publishing (transfer of copyright in lieu of payment) will also adapt as a means of survival. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

]]>