IN DEPTH


Opinion Open Access


06 Open Access Policy should be developed in a way that is isolated from other areas of govern-


ment policy thinking.How can that be right when it has so many interactions and implications with so many other areas of government policy: higher education, exports, Intellectual Propert, copyright?


07 An Open Access flip can happen overnight. It is just way too complex for this. This is about the


Stephen Lotinga


With many arguments around Open Access in academia framed in an adversarial manner, the trade must give voice to the benefits it can bring


Myths of Open Access T


01 Publishers are anti-Open Access. Publishers are all pro-Open Access. And UK academic publishers


have been at the forefront of the global movement to open up access to research.


02 Publishers are not digital or innovative. Journals have been digital since the turn of the


century. Ninet-two per cent of journal sales are digital or from a hybrid digital and print bundle. New technologies, platforms, services and business models are in academic publishers’ DNA.


03 Publishers are the only barrier to Open Access going quicker, further, faster. Authors, research-


ers and funders need to be brought on this journey as well. There is also a fundamental need for brands and qualit markers. Digital makes that more important, not less.


04 Publishing skills aren’t necessary and their values aren’t commensurate with those of


academics. How can a communit that is commited to a global approach, high qualit, rigour, meticulous prepara- tion and accuracy not be?


05 Te UK has so far failed in its approach to Open Access. It has done beter than any other


country on earth. We should be looking closely at what has worked, as well as the cause of any frustrations.


38 12th March2019


Stephen Lotinga is the chief executive of the UK Publishers Association


sustainabilit of the entire academic communit, not just publishing. Whatever the frustrations, the solution is to set an achievable time frame and track progress towards it rigorously—not to pretend that it can be achieved quicker than is prudent or possible.


08 Te UK can lead by isolation. TheUK needs to move at a pace that enables it to bring others with it,


not run offso fast that it ends up scaring off international academics. If it does so, it risks finding itself outside of international norms and frameworks.


he Open Access policy debate will continue to dominate academic publishing in 2019 and beyond—and the outcomes will be defining for the sector. The associated discussion is oſten framed as us and them. The rhetoric frequently heightened and divisive. Myths, misconceptions and misunderstandings abound and are thrown around carelessly. Here are a few of those most deserving of debunking:


We have a responsibility to do a much better job of explaining to people the important role that publishers play in academia


NINETY-TWO PER CENT OF JOURNAL


DIGITAL IN SOME FORM J


SALES ARE


09 One size fits all. To suggest that the needs of such a diverse communit—with so many different kinds of


outputs, subjects and formats—can neatly be bundled up into one set of rules is both hugely risky and fanciful.


10 Policy change equals reduced costs. It isn’t that easy. It is risky, difficult and, if it is achievable


at all, it requires detailed planning, time and sometimes transitional investments to get there.


Publishing is not just a simple conduit for research, just t as journals are not just repositories. Academic publishers


t


stand for qualit. They are champions of the disciplines they serve and an integral part of our world-renowned research and innovation ecosystem. We have made huge progress on opening up access to academic research, but extreme Open Access proposals based on ideological thinking threaten that progress. The UK Research and Innovation review into OpenAccess will continue throughout this year, while Plan S is also in train. We must ensure that future Open Access is built on a sustainable model that publishers can help deliver. As an industry, we also have a responsibilit to do a


much beter job of explaining to people the important role that publishers play in academia and the wider knowledge economy. And myth-busting is a vital part of that.


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