Topic 5 Summary.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the internet, “I support openness in digital, technology & innovation #TheOpenAgenda”

A variety of very valid, and well-thought-out points were shared over our blog posts and comments this week, allowing us to think a little deeper as to decision faced by content creators in terms of Open Access; how, and where, should they share their content; and to what gain? Ultimately each author is an individual, and it is their decision, but should the research funders/users get a say?

 

My peers and I have discussed the different reasons, advantages and disadvantages as to why an author would opt for free, immediate, and permanent access to their content. Whether that be full text access to research articles, or digital media such as songs and films as discussed by Kaya. However, I believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and so the public, students and tax payers deserve open access. As pointed out by Jazz, not all taxpayer-funded research is available to tax payers, and the European Commission are now starting to require open access to the findings of taxpayer-funded research (Berners-Lee, 2014).

One main advantage, as Laura stated, of providing open access to published articles, is that an author would benefit from increased citation and the spread of their content, instead of limiting their reach through the traditional route of publishing in expensive journals. Additionally, this would further student’s learning and encourage the development of new scientific ideas across the world. However, I do appreciate the quality control issues raised and how it could affect the reliability of the paper.

Other aspects were brought to light by my peers, from taking a stance on online newspapers introducing paywalls (Alysia) to the economic motivations (Yee-Ping). I recognise that a balance is needed. Having been introduced to the approach taken by The Economist, in which they offer 3 free articles per week before charging, I have come to agree with my peer Cristian, in that it could be the necessary stepping stone. It ensures that content creators are rightfully paid, however readers are granted access to “test the waters” first. It seems like a fair introductory method, that might be deemed appropriate from a business perspective.

To conclude, there is a risk that if the struggle for open access continues, it will have a rippled effect on education. Professors may not have access to potentially beneficial resources, which could have sparked new ideas, and consequently the knowledge shared to students will be limited. I believe that it is right for the government to make public taxpayer-funded research accessible. I vote for Open Access.

 

References: Berners-Lee, T. (2014) The many meanings of Open. Telefonica. [Online] Available at: http://blog.digital.telefonica.com/2013/10/09/tim-berners-lee-telefonica-open-agenda/ [Accessed 08 May 2014]