What universities want from publishing Stephen Pinfield University of Nottingham
What universities want from publishing do ?
The simple answer Universities: –do research –do teaching Want publishing to support and further their research and teaching
What universities want from publishing
Universities: complex organisations Devolved structure Consultative (democratic?) processes Corporate strategy and local reality Suspicion of the centre Discipline differences Individual / research group oriented Person culture
Different universities UK: –Russell Group –Other old universities –New universities USA: –Ivy League –etc.
What universities want from publishing
Want? Desire, wish for –instinctive wants –informed wants Need, ought to have Academics: innovative in their ideas, conservative in their work practices
What universities want from publishing
Publishing? Wide range of possibilities: –from: formal publication in peer-reviewed journal –to: informal dissemination Different factors –discipline differences –paper - electronic –etc.
So… Differences within and between universities mean different wants in relation to publishing Different wants reflect different levels of understanding on what is desirable and/or possible There are different ideas of what publishing is and what it is for
Universities and publishing Universities as: Producers Purchasers Consumers
Producers: context Publish or perish Get cited or get out The RAE is what counts (in the UK)
Producers Rapid dissemination Wide dissemination Visibility Impact Peer endorsement No risks IPR-friendly policies Freedom to self-archive Freedom to re-use Document preparation?
Purchasers Affordability Flexibility –in pricing –in licences Transparency Integratability Wide access Perpetual access Usage statistics
Consumers Quality Quality markers / branding Ease of access –desk-top –on / off-campus –wide range of publishers –easy authentication –current / archive Navigability Post-publication indicators Value added features?
Achieving a balance Tensions –e.g. rapid dissemination v. quality Subscription-based status-quo –strong on quality, branding, document preparation etc. –at the expense of access, impact, affordability etc. Open-access: publishing, self-archiving
Open access: strengths Producers Rapid dissemination Wide dissemination Visibility Impact Peer endorsement No risks IPR-friendly policies Freedom to self- archive Freedom to re-use Document preparation? Purchasers Affordability Flexibility in pricing in licences Transparency Integratability Wide access Perpetual access Usage statistics Consumers Quality Quality markers / branding Ease of access desk-top on/off-campus wide range of publishers easy authentication current / archive Navigability Post-publication indicators Value added features?
Do universities want open access? Universities want: –Impact –Affordability –Quality –Access Can open access deliver?
Time for change Things have to change with the times - the established system isnt perfect and change might be a good thing. Anonymous respondent to the JISC/OSI Journal Authors Survey, 2004