T5: Open Access to Online Materials

There are a number of key skills required for the role to be a content producer, including an awareness of ie. how web pages are built as well as knowledge of video/photo editing techniques(1). It is also essential that they are able to think creatively about using the content at thier own disposal and to recognise how to communicate with the audience to increase their engagement with the programme.

Open access is free, immidiate online availability of materials with full reuse rights.

Materials such as articles are immediately free to read. Users don’t have to pay to access material, and anyone in the world connected online has access. Due to all content being free for re-use, materials can be built upon as well as synthesized with other research (2). The purpose to publish is to spread information. The more people that will be able to access to more materials, the result is essentially a greater accumulation of knowledge- which eventually allow faster discoveries.

One of the most greatest advantages of open access is that it allows worldwide distribution of free education resources which allows those who are around the world with no access to full education to benefit from online learning (3).

However, open access may not be easily achieved as price subscription to research journals increased in the past 30 years by 250% over inflation where these fees will go straight to the content producer (4).  A study conducted by global pricing consultancy in 2013 suggests 90% of online content is to be held behind pay-walls, followed by a similar rise in profits in three years time (5). Not to mention back in early 1997, when the internet was held together by string, News International attempted an online pay wall (6).

Needless to say, different stakeholders in the system of scholarly communications will benefit from no restricted access to research and data: researchers as authors, researchers looking for information, funding agencies, universities & research institutes, libraries, teachers and students, citizens and society, enterprises and publishers being amounst them.

Research institutions and businesses can and may simply pay for access. Those with sufficient funds can access the materials required to conduct high quality innovative research which in turn they will receive money through the interest of private funding and grants.

Access to materials is crucial for the development of science and education (Fig.1). Especially those who live in developing countries without the access to materials will be a great loss whereas the other parts of the world are comparatively thriving in..

Indeed, a key aim of an organization is to make money, but with an expected increase in profits by 90% (5), it is not likely that additional charges are contributing to any running costs. Yes, there are problems witth the current system of academic publications (it’s expensive which makes access expensive) but it’s run by businesses and not charities/not-for-profit foundations (7). It all makes me believe paying for acccess is just not fair..

REFERENCES:

1. Jordan, A. 2012. Deeson. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.deeson.co.uk/blog/what-content-producer-part-1. [Accessed 01 May 15].
2. Youtube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=L5rVH1KGBCY
3. Green, C; Soares, L, Wiley, D; , 2012. Dramatically Bringing down the Cost of Education with OER. How Open Education Resources Unlock the Door to Free Learning, 5, 3.
4. Electronic Frontier Foundation. 2015. Open Access . [ONLINE] Available at:https://www.eff.org/issues/open-access. [Accessed 01 May 15].
5. S, Lepitak, 2013. The Drum: Modern Marketing. Media Buyers Reaction, [Online]. Available at:http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/03/28/media-buyers-reaction-sun-and-telegraph-introduce-paywalls[Accessed 01 May 2015].
6. S, Coughlan, 2010. BBC NEWS . The first wave of internet pay walls, [Online].  Available at:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8720282.stm [Accessed 01 May 2015].
7. De Podesta, M, 2012. Open access is not such a smart idea. [Online].  Available at:https://protonsforbreakfast.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/open-access-is-not-such-a-smart-idea/ [Accessed 01 May 2015].

Additional Reading:

1. The Guardian. Open acess will be crucial to maintain public confidence in science: https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2012/apr/20/open-access-crucial-public-confidence-science?CMP=twt_gu