Opinion Open Access Business as usual


IET has recently expanded its Open Access programme. Daniel Smith explains why, and argues that OA is not a threat to traditional journals publishers


DESPITE A DECADE or so of coverage of Open Access in the world of academic publishing, the issue has rarely been so widely reported as in recent months. Historically, academic publishing


has been subscription-based with institutions paying to access journals. However, with information becoming more ubiquitous via the internet and funding bodies exhorting researchers to make their results more available, there is pressure to adopt a more flexible approach. Academic publishers are responding by developing OA strategies, offering choice to members of the academic community while maintaining the relevance of services they offer. Te June 2012 Finch Report—an


independent study on OA commissioned by the UK government—argued that the short term costs of making research findings from UK institutions more readily available online would be outweighed by increased economic benefits from innovation and collaboration in the longer term. As such, the government said it will support the transition with a £10m subsidy, plus a move by Research Councils UK to include OA article payment charges (APCs) through block grants to UK Higher Education Institutions, approved independent research organisations and Research Council Institutes.


Bigger audiences Te advantages of OA are obvious, in theory. Academics reach a bigger audience for their research and it can have a more immediate impact, while readers can gain quick access to knowledge and expertise they previously may not have been able to afford. But why would an academic publisher embrace OA if it involves “giving content away” for free? Te short answer is that such


content is not “free” but simply made freely available at point of consumption. All the inbuilt costs of


by continuing library budget cuts and a decline in the attraction of “big deals” for “all you can eat” content, support for research at the article level looks like good news for both authors and publishers. Academics, or their research bodies, simply pay a fee to the publisher when their research paper goes online, with the fee being set by the publisher. It is up to the researcher to


determine where they wish to publish based on the best fit for their article—which may include criteria such as timeliness as well as prestige or scope—and it is the job of the publisher to ensure that their journals’ coverage and usage is sufficiently appealing to attract adequate submissions. OA won’t suit everyone and there


subject areas that are more suited to it than others”


sourcing, reviewing, editing, hosting and curating content remain with the publisher, but are paid for through individual APCs by authors, or their funders, who understand the value publishers offer. Before the Institution of


Engineering & Technology announced its intention to create an OA journal and add OA options to existing journals, we conducted a survey of over 35,000 engineering researchers. We found around a third had already been published in an OA journal, while 87% said they would continue to submit articles to a journal if it converted to OA. As such we felt confident that the engineering market was ready for an OA element to be added to the IET’s publications.


12 THE BOOKSELLER DAILY AT FRANKFURT | 11 OCTOBER 2012 While established journals remain


tied to print, an online-only journal carries fewer constraints in terms of publication delay, volume output and scope of coverage. With the release of our new broad-based journal, the IET will encourage coverage unavailable to engineers through its established titles, and attract a wider range of authors as a result. Tis will take into account papers lying between subject areas which may previously have been rejected.


Improving discoverability As well as a new publishing opportunity, OA offers publishers a new business model to add to the mix. Although unlikely to replace subscriptions, challenged as these are


Open Access won’t suit everyone and there may be


may be subject areas that are more suited to it than others. Tat is as true within engineering as elsewhere in STM publishing, and has helped shape the coverage that the IET’s new journal will offer at launch. Tis underlines why, in my view,


OA is not a threat to academic publishers. We have a vital role in adding value by way of improving discoverability, adding links, associated data and tools for interaction and analysis. OA simply adds an improved level of diversity to academic publishing, and lets us meet researchers’ needs better through increased author choice. Tat is not to underestimate the


challenge. OA is a global phenomenon and internationally countries are operating at many differing levels of acceptance and support for published research. What will help move the issue forward is concerted attempts by funding organisations, supported by government, to bolster the early initiatives now in place.


Daniel Smith is head of academic publishing at the Institution of Engineering & Technology


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