566125
editorial2014
TDEXXX10.1177/0145721714566125Open Access (OA) LiteratureFain
The Diabetes EDUCATOR 28
Editorial Open Access (OA) Literature: What Is It? James A. Fain, PhD, RN, BC-ADM, FAAN
O
pen access (OA) refers to the practice of making digital content freely available online. While digital content can mean a variety of things, it most commonly refers to peer-reviewed scholarly research articles but has increasingly included a wider dissemination of scholarly pursuits such as monographs, papers, dissertations, technical/project reports, presentations, and data. Peter Suber, current director of the Office for Scholarly Communication Office at Harvard University and one of the leading pioneers of the OA movement, defines OA literature as “digital, online, free of charge for everyone with an internet connection, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.”1 With a recent interest in OA over the past several years by faculty and researchers alike, it is interesting to note that OA publishing dates back to the 1990s when journal subscription prices began skyrocketing and the need for different business models became apparent. At that time, professional publishing organizations and independent publishers (scientists/scholars) began working together to develop a business model to support OA. As OA emerged as a new publishing model as an attempt to support publishing organizations and scientists/scholars, it is today an established process of delivering scientific communication with support from the government and researcher funders as opposed to subscription fees. Several options are available for authors to consider when making their scholarly pursuits OA to others: OA journals (“Gold” OA), OA repositories (“Green” OA), or OA options with traditional, subscription journals (Hybrid DOI: 10.1177/0145721714566125
OA). Authors publishing in an OA journal (Gold QA) have their scholarly work accepted to a specific OA journal with the article uploaded to the publisher’s website. An OA journal may or may not charge a publisher’s fee. A common misunderstanding is that all OA journals use an “author-pays” type business model. This is not true. While some OA journals require a publication fee, it is the author’s employer or funder (sponsor of the research) who sometimes pays the fee. In some situations, publication fees are waived or universities maintain funds to pay fees on behalf of faculty/researchers that choose to publish in fee-based OA journals. Another common misunderstanding is that articles in OA journals are not peer-reviewed or peer-reviewed to a lesser extent. OA and limited peer review are totally separate issues. With the publishing community having a vested interest in OA, issues of quality (rigorous peer-review process) are of paramount importance to ensure the overall publishing system remain stable. Authors publishing in OA repositories (Green QA), sometimes referred to as “self-archiving,” have their scholarly work placed in a repository organized by discipline (eg, OpenMed@NIC, including biomedical, medical informatics, dental, nursing, and pharmaceutical sciences) or institution (eg, eScholarship at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester). Institutional repositories are developed and maintained by librarians who are active players in helping create a culture of OA in their respective institutions, thus supporting the core value of access to information. OA repositories do not perform peer review themselves. However, they generally host scholarly works peer-reviewed elsewhere. Continued on p. 30
Volume 41, Number 1, February 2015
The Diabetes EDUCATOR 30
SAGE Publications is the world’s largest independent academic publisher and is committed to global dissemination of research. SAGE supports both Gold, Green, and Hybrid OA. SAGE has made significant investment in OA, currently publishing 37 Gold OA journals (eg, Global Pediatric Health, Global Qualitative Nursing Research, Health Service Research and Epidemiology, SAGE Open Medicine) with plans to introduce another 40 journals over the next several years. SAGE firmly believes OA journals can and must be held to the same standards of ethics, research integrity, and methodological soundness as other traditional journals. The future of OA is uncertain. What we do know is that there continues to be a rapid pace of change in
electronic publishing in this digital era. As SAGE expands OA opportunities, issues of quality (rigorous peer-review process) associated with scholarly contributions will always be given primary consideration. SAGE is committed to work with editors, authors, and society partners, keeping them informed while advocating for OA models and policies that support the entire publishing community.
Reference 1. Suber P. What is open access? An overview. Presented at: ALPSPSSP Meeting, Washington, DC; November 8, 2004:1.
Volume 41, Number 1, February 2015
editorial2014
TDEXXX10.1177/0145721714566125Open Access (OA) LiteratureFain
The Diabetes EDUCATOR 28
Editorial Open Access (OA) Literature: What Is It? James A. Fain, PhD, RN, BC-ADM, FAAN
O
pen access (OA) refers to the practice of making digital content freely available online. While digital content can mean a variety of things, it most commonly refers to peer-reviewed scholarly research articles but has increasingly included a wider dissemination of scholarly pursuits such as monographs, papers, dissertations, technical/project reports, presentations, and data. Peter Suber, current director of the Office for Scholarly Communication Office at Harvard University and one of the leading pioneers of the OA movement, defines OA literature as “digital, online, free of charge for everyone with an internet connection, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.”1 With a recent interest in OA over the past several years by faculty and researchers alike, it is interesting to note that OA publishing dates back to the 1990s when journal subscription prices began skyrocketing and the need for different business models became apparent. At that time, professional publishing organizations and independent publishers (scientists/scholars) began working together to develop a business model to support OA. As OA emerged as a new publishing model as an attempt to support publishing organizations and scientists/scholars, it is today an established process of delivering scientific communication with support from the government and researcher funders as opposed to subscription fees. Several options are available for authors to consider when making their scholarly pursuits OA to others: OA journals (“Gold” OA), OA repositories (“Green” OA), or OA options with traditional, subscription journals (Hybrid DOI: 10.1177/0145721714566125
OA). Authors publishing in an OA journal (Gold QA) have their scholarly work accepted to a specific OA journal with the article uploaded to the publisher’s website. An OA journal may or may not charge a publisher’s fee. A common misunderstanding is that all OA journals use an “author-pays” type business model. This is not true. While some OA journals require a publication fee, it is the author’s employer or funder (sponsor of the research) who sometimes pays the fee. In some situations, publication fees are waived or universities maintain funds to pay fees on behalf of faculty/researchers that choose to publish in fee-based OA journals. Another common misunderstanding is that articles in OA journals are not peer-reviewed or peer-reviewed to a lesser extent. OA and limited peer review are totally separate issues. With the publishing community having a vested interest in OA, issues of quality (rigorous peer-review process) are of paramount importance to ensure the overall publishing system remain stable. Authors publishing in OA repositories (Green QA), sometimes referred to as “self-archiving,” have their scholarly work placed in a repository organized by discipline (eg, OpenMed@NIC, including biomedical, medical informatics, dental, nursing, and pharmaceutical sciences) or institution (eg, eScholarship at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester). Institutional repositories are developed and maintained by librarians who are active players in helping create a culture of OA in their respective institutions, thus supporting the core value of access to information. OA repositories do not perform peer review themselves. However, they generally host scholarly works peer-reviewed elsewhere. Continued on p. 30
Volume 41, Number 1, February 2015
The Diabetes EDUCATOR 30
SAGE Publications is the world’s largest independent academic publisher and is committed to global dissemination of research. SAGE supports both Gold, Green, and Hybrid OA. SAGE has made significant investment in OA, currently publishing 37 Gold OA journals (eg, Global Pediatric Health, Global Qualitative Nursing Research, Health Service Research and Epidemiology, SAGE Open Medicine) with plans to introduce another 40 journals over the next several years. SAGE firmly believes OA journals can and must be held to the same standards of ethics, research integrity, and methodological soundness as other traditional journals. The future of OA is uncertain. What we do know is that there continues to be a rapid pace of change in
electronic publishing in this digital era. As SAGE expands OA opportunities, issues of quality (rigorous peer-review process) associated with scholarly contributions will always be given primary consideration. SAGE is committed to work with editors, authors, and society partners, keeping them informed while advocating for OA models and policies that support the entire publishing community.
Reference 1. Suber P. What is open access? An overview. Presented at: ALPSPSSP Meeting, Washington, DC; November 8, 2004:1.
Volume 41, Number 1, February 2015
