This document summarizes a presentation on increasing the impact of research through open access. It notes that journal prices have risen much faster than other costs, such as monographs. Most research is publicly funded but access is restricted behind paywalls. Open access provides free, immediate access to scholarly articles with full reuse rights. It outlines two paths to open access - self-archiving in open repositories or publishing in open access journals. The presentation encourages students to advocate for open access on their campuses through events for Open Access Week and other initiatives. It provides information on the Right to Research Coalition and how students can get involved in advocating for open access.

1. How to increase the impact
of research
Joe McArthur - @Mcarthur_Joe
Assistant Director, Right to Research Coalition
Co-founder and Co-Lead of the Open Access Button
IFMSA SCORE AM 14 Workshop Session

2. www.righttoresearch.org

3. www.righttoresearch.org

5. What’s going wrong?
www.righttoresearch.org

6. Average journal price in Health Sciences:
www.righttoresearch.org
Chemistry
= $4,450
Physics
= $3,893
Agriculture
= $1,441
= $1,482
Source: Library Journal 2013 Periodicals Pricing Survey
“The Winds of Change | Periodicals Price Survey 2013,” by Stephen Bosch and Kittie Henderson. Library Journal,
April 25, 2013: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/04/publishing/the-winds-of-change-periodicals-price-survey-2013

7. www.righttoresearch.org
-25%
25%
75%
125%
175%
225%
275%
325%
375%
425%
1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010
%ChangeSince1986
Source: ARL Statistics 2010-11 Association of Research Libraries, Washington, D.C.
*Includes electronic resources from 1999-2000 onward.
Graph 2
Monograph and Serial Costs
in ARL Libraries, 1986-2011* Serial
Expenditures
(+402%)
Monograph
Expenditures
(+71%)
Monographs
Purchased
(10%)

8. Publishing obscure academic journals is
that rare thing in the media industry:
“a license to print money.”
www.righttoresearch.org
The Economist, “Open Sesame,” April 14, 2012: http://www.economist.com/node/21552574

9. www.righttoresearch.org
Publishing is big business…

10. Date taken from on August 2nd https://gowers.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/elsevier-journals-some-facts/

11. Is there a reason
publishing should be
this expensive?
www.righttoresearch.org

12. 1914
Yes
www.righttoresearch.org
2014
No

13. www.righttoresearch.org
http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=1200

14. 80%
of research is
publicly
funded
1 Academic Publishing: Survey of funders supports the benign Open Access outcome priced into shares,
HSBC Global Research, February 11, 2013:
https://www.research.hsbc.com/midas/Res/RDV?ao=20&key=RxArFbnG1P&n=360010.PDF
1

15. www.righttoresearch.org
Free, immediate online access
to scientific & scholarly articles
with full reuse rights
As defined by the Budapest Open Access Initiative

16. www.sparc.arl.org
Current test (ELISA):
$800, high false positives
Jack’s test:
$.03, >99% accuracy, 5 min
168x faster
26,667x cheaper
400x more sensitive
100x more selective

17. “I used [free, online articles] religiously. Just
because, in most online databases, articles cost
about $35, and there are only about 10 pages…
My research should serve as a testament to free
online research (...) It was hard to get what I
needed without the costs. People should take note
and because of this project, we should make a
move toward more inexpensive or free Online
research.”
- Jack Andraka
www.vancouverobserver.com/world/how-aaron-swartz-paved-way-jack-andrakas-revolutionary-cancer-test

18. We need
more Jacks
www.righttoresearch.org

19. www.righttoresearch.org
Two paths to Open Access
Self-
archiving
Open Access
Journals

20. www.righttoresearch.org
X 2,000
1. Publish (almost) anywhere,
deposit into an open-access repository

21. www.righttoresearch.org
2. Publish in an open-access journal
X >9,700

22. Setting the default
to
Open
www.righttoresearch.org

23. www.righttoresearch.org
1,000+
Congressional lobbying visits
over the past 4.5 years

24. i) confirms the importance of students having access to
research journals and articles as part of their training;
ii) notes the high cost to institutions and individuals when
accessing scholarly literature;
iii) proposes that this could hinder medical students in their
development as ‘The Doctor as the Scientist’ as well as
developing an evidence based clinical approach;
iv) welcomes and endorses the Right To Research Coalition’s
statement on Open Access to research literature.
www.righttoresearch.org
June 25, 2012

26. www.righttoresearch.org
200,000+ views
bit.ly/OAexplained

27. www.righttoresearch.org
“…the degree of student initiative and
engagement at UBC gives this issue
a whole new impetus.”

28. But what can you do?

29. www.righttoresearch.org
Applications Open Now!
More info available at: www.opencon2014.org
Don’t delay – 400 applications in 4 days so far…

30. www.righttoresearch.org
Host a meeting in your region!
More info available at: http://righttoresearch.org/act/opencon/satellite/

31. Open Access Week: October 20-26, 2014

32. www.righttoresearch.org/act/oaweek/gogrants
Applications Open Now! Applications close August 18th
More info available at: http://www.righttoresearch.org/act/oaweek/GoGrants

33. How would you advocate for
Open Access on campus?

34. Here’s a head start…

35. $250: Local watch party
• Small screening of the kick-off event
• Discussion forum with pizza
$500: Large local events
• Screening of kick-off event with in-person speakers
• On-campus action
$1000: National events / week-long campaigns
• Lump sums for many local events
• Large conferences and innovative events
We can fund food, travel, printing etc.

36. Overprice Tags
Image courtesy of Nicole Hennig – Available at http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/391536784_5eda314050_o.jpg
• Print stickers and put
them on journals
• Helps show the true
cost of journals
• Simple and easy to do
More info at http://mako.cc/fun/overpricetags/

37. Open Access
Challenge
Image courtesy of Uvania Naidoo – Available at http://www.righttoresearch.org/blog/openucts-access-challenge.shtml
• Challenge students to
find research with and
without uni access
• Shows people how
hard it is to get access
More info at http://www.righttoresearch.org/blog/openucts-access-
challenge.shtml

38. www.righttoresearch.org

39. www.righttoresearch.org/act/oaweek/gogrants
Applications Open Now! They Close August 18th
More info available at: http://www.righttoresearch.org/act/oaweek/GoGrants

40. How would you advocate for
Open Access on campus?
5-10 minutes to discuss

41. So what else can you do?
• Have your NMO join the R2RC
• Start a working group on Open Access within
your NMO
• Hold presentations & workshops on OA at
meeting
• Start a new project on Open Access
• Use OpenAccessButton.org
www.righttoresearch.org

42. In Summary…
www.righttoresearch.org

43. Launched in Summer 2009.
Built around the Student Statement
on the Right to Research: access to
research is a student right
International alliance of 77 graduate &
undergraduate student organizations,
representing nearly 7 million students
We Educate + Advocate for Open Access

44. www.righttoresearch.org
Thank you and Questions?
Recap this presentation + more info at:
http://www.righttoresearch.org/learn/IFMSAAM20
14
How you can talk to me
Joe@righttoresearch.org
@Mcarthur_Joe