OASPA Response to European Commission Expert Group Report on the Future of scholarly publishing and scholarly communication

The Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) recently published their invited response to the European Commission Expert Group Report: Future of scholarly publishing and scholarly communication  

As a paid and qualified member of OASPA, UTS ePRESS would like to share a link to the OASPA response which, on the whole, it supports.

A key paragraph within the OASPA response includes the identification of the heavy burden researchers are carrying in the move toward open scholarship / open research practices. Indeed, to show our support for the need for research funding bodies and institutions to adjust the system of academic evaluation to enable cultural change toward open research practices, we would like to highlight that paragraph here:

At the crux of it all, then, lies the system of academic evaluation which OASPA also sees as a key barrier to both open access and open scholarship. This is something which affects all actors – but which those working towards open access publishing, open infrastructure and related support services are less able to influence directly. Policies and research practices of funders and institutions need to undergo significant change if open research practices and an open system of scholarly communication is to be realised. Scholars lie at the heart of the system and the burden of responsibility to change has largely rested with them, but they do not have the appropriate support, resources and incentives to change.

For the OASPA response and links to the original European Commission report please go here.

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