How funders can take action OA – Economic Benefits / Johannes Fournier Brussels, 22.06.2009 DFG

Open Access: it is all about the author! Only researchers as authors can provide open access to their research results. Researchers often see funding organisations or their own universities or research institutes as administrative obstacles to their research. Researchers publish not only to present their research results, but even more to promote their career. Researchers like to use material that is freely available online, yet they often shy back of providing their own results in open access. Researchers ask for quality control, impact, authenticity, validity. Researchers are a very special kind of people, enjoying many freedoms, used to make informed decisions based on their own judgement. OA – Economic Benefits / Johannes Fournier Brussels, 22.06.2009

Only researchers as authors can provide open access to their research results.

Researchers often see funding organisations or their own universities or research institutes as administrative obstacles to their research.

Researchers publish not only to present their research results, but even more to promote their career.

Researchers like to use material that is freely available online, yet they often shy back of providing their own results in open access.

Researchers ask for quality control, impact, authenticity, validity.

Researchers are a very special kind of people, enjoying many freedoms, used to make informed decisions based on their own judgement.

If authors like informed decisions: inform them! OA – Economic Benefits / Johannes Fournier Brussels, 22.06.2009

Areas of (Funding) Activities Awareness Raising Legal and Financial Framework Open Access Policies Covering Publication Charges Infrastructure Funding Federating Repositories Establishing Open Access Journals Transforming Journals into Open Access OA – Economic Benefits / Johannes Fournier Brussels, 22.06.2009

Awareness Raising

Legal and Financial Framework

Open Access Policies

Covering Publication Charges

Infrastructure Funding

Federating Repositories

Establishing Open Access Journals

Transforming Journals into Open Access

The legal framework: open access policies and mandates Open Access Policies Your expectations from fundees Your signal to fundees: there is value in open access Make sure fundees understand how the „Green Road“ works (otherwise they might think you tell them where and how to publish their research) Open Access Mandates Legal obstacles to mandating Cooperation rather than confrontation with researchers Can you check on compliance? OA – Economic Benefits / Johannes Fournier Brussels, 22.06.2009

Open Access Policies

Your expectations from fundees

Your signal to fundees: there is value in open access

Make sure fundees understand how the „Green Road“ works (otherwise they might think you tell them where and how to publish their research)

Open Access Mandates

Legal obstacles to mandating

Cooperation rather than confrontation with researchers

Can you check on compliance?

The wish for unalienable self-archiving rights Most publishers allow deposit of articles in repositories. Yet, there is a variety of specific regulations regarding embargoes, versions, and locus of deposit. Thus many researchers are rather unsure what they can and cannot do. Thus copyright should include a law that researchers are permitted to deposit articles from journals and proceedings as published after a specific embargo, even if researchers transferred copyright exclusively. OA – Economic Benefits / Johannes Fournier Brussels, 22.06.2009

Most publishers allow deposit of articles in repositories. Yet, there is a variety of specific regulations regarding embargoes, versions, and locus of deposit. Thus many researchers are rather unsure what they can and cannot do.

Thus copyright should include a law that researchers are permitted to deposit articles from journals and proceedings as published after a specific embargo, even if researchers transferred copyright exclusively.

The financial framework: covering publication costs „ We recommend that HEIs establish dedicated budgets to which researchers can apply for funds to meet the costs of publication fees.“ (ebd., p.10) OA – Economic Benefits / Johannes Fournier Brussels, 22.06.2009

„ We recommend that HEIs establish dedicated budgets to which researchers can apply for funds to meet the costs of publication fees.“

(ebd., p.10)

The financial framework: covering publication costs The overall picture of publication costs Explain to researchers that information costs are borne by the public hand anyway and that open access only shifts these costs from „reader“ to „producer“ Covering publication costs What exactly do you support? Only open access? Hybrid journals? Consider author fears Will quality decrease if authors pay for publications? It is essential to have clear, precise and transparent mechanisms to cover publication charges, especially if the grants are handed out via the university Who is going to decide on the success of an application for author fees? What happens if funds for publication charges have run out? OA – Economic Benefits / Johannes Fournier Brussels, 22.06.2009

The overall picture of publication costs

Explain to researchers that information costs are borne by the public hand anyway and that open access only shifts these costs from „reader“ to „producer“

Covering publication costs

What exactly do you support? Only open access? Hybrid journals?

Consider author fears

Will quality decrease if authors pay for publications?

It is essential to have clear, precise and transparent mechanisms to cover publication charges, especially if the grants are handed out via the university

Who is going to decide on the success of an application for author fees?

What happens if funds for publication charges have run out?

Infrastructure Funding – Federating Repositories Realize that repositories contain more than information: they also contain tools to work with that information. Integrate the wealth of information from repositories into the information landscape and fund work on a seamless integration of repositories into the researchers‘ workflows Fund the development of services that bring added value to the research community so that researchers appreciate working with repositories. Does your funding agency already support the development of the European Vision for repositories? OA – Economic Benefits / Johannes Fournier Brussels, 22.06.2009

Realize that repositories contain more than information: they also contain tools to work with that information.

Integrate the wealth of information from repositories into the information landscape and fund work on a seamless integration of repositories into the researchers‘ workflows

Fund the development of services that bring added value to the research community so that researchers appreciate working with repositories.

Does your funding agency already support the development of the European Vision for repositories?

Infrastructure Funding – Supporting Open Access Journals Establish, innovate and transform journals from print to open access OA – Economic Benefits / Johannes Fournier Brussels, 22.06.2009

Establish, innovate and transform journals from print to open access

Dr. Johannes Fournier Abt. III – LIS [email_address] How funders can take action OA – Economic Benefits / Johannes Fournier Brussels, 22.06.2009 DFG