Can an Open Access mandate avoid destroying a well functioning publication

system?

Jørgen BurchardtThe Society of Danish Science Editors

jorgen.burchardt@mail.dkwww.burchardt.name

www.videnssamfundet.dk

I am a researcher and editor

> 33 years as an editor

Experiments with Open Access 1987 (Nordisk Bibliografi for Folkelivsforskning og Nord Nytt)

Established the first Danish peer reviewed journal Open Access in 2001 (Tidsskrift for Arbejdsliv)

Other pioneers in Open Access

Anders Geertsen, Munksgaard:First Monday 1996- (present USA)

Ugeskrift for Læger 2001 (-2010)

Journals - gatekeepers for academic quality

researchersEditorial process

readers

Journals – the quality process

researchersEditorial process

readers

peer reviewdiscussionsfeedbackcopy editingproofreadingimaginglay outdigital markup

and much more

The best editors are necessary for highest quality

researchersEditorial process

readers

Organisation(publisher)

Necessary organization

researchersEditorial process

readers

Necessary income

researchersEditorial process

readers

Organisation(publisher)

subscription

Author-financed Open Access (golden)

researchersEditorial process

readers

Organisation(publisher)

One article = 2.000 €(John Houghton)

Author-financed Open Access (golden)

Is not a solution in humanities and social sciences

Example:

Historisk Tidsskrift has 25 % authors without a research institution behind them.(unemployed, retired, teachers at high schools, priests)

And has many other drawbacks

Mandate research council FKK 2008

All articles from supported journals had to be Open Access within a year after publication

Consequences Arbejderhistorie

From 480 to 384 pages

20 % less published articles

subscribers

Mandate research council FKK 2008

7 are closed

Of 28 printed journals:

15 still only in print4 became OA (delayed)2 won’t apply

Mandate research council FKK 2008

35 % closed or with severe problems

Reason: the research council was more interested in ideology than in publishing

OA – no advantage for researchers anymore

After John Houghton

Researchersneed

Litterature atResearch libraries

OA – advantage for ordinary people

Humanities and social sciencesand popular STM in Danish

But the municipal libraries could buy a licens for the whole populationOA is not necessary

Author-archiving Open Access (green)

researchersEditorial process

readers

Organisation(publisher)

A manuscript and an article are not the same

A manuscript and an article are not the same

A manuscript and an article are not the same

A manuscript and an article are not the same

Enforce the researchers to archive

Researchers know that manuscripts are second class

Archiving is against their will and will only happen after a mandate

Author-archiving Open Access (green)

researchersEditorial process

readers

Organisation(publisher)

Author-archiving Open Access (green)

researchersEditorial process

readers

Organisation(publisher)

Green Open Access is

•Slow to read

•Slow to use

•Missing information

•Wrong information

•You need to use the original article

•Bureaucratic and unproductive system

•The functioning publishing system will be destroyed

Mandating a OA green is a strategy to get OA gold

If universities mandate green open access, making all papers accessible, libraries will begin to cancel journal subscriptions "catastrophically“

Stevan Harnad, Times Higher Education 12 November 2009

And yes, some publishers will decide to leave the business, but that is perfectly fine.

Stevan Harnad, Information Today February 2010

OA green mission: Destruction

And from destruction came Phoenix: golden OA

What is the most dangerous idea in the world?

It is the ideas about green OA that will reduce the quality and efficiency of the dissemination of research results.

A reduction by only a few percent will be a threat to the world economy, and by that to peace and freedom.

That explain why DEFF/Danish Agency for Libraries and Media

•Made OA lobby in secret

•Kept the editors away from influences (330 mio. kr.)

•Never have had open meetings about OA

•Closed the doors for researchers, even at announced open OA meetings

•Won’t allow researchers to join the OA network

•Never have invited the Danish OA pioneers to share their experiences

•Didn’t involve researchers, editors or publishers in the writing of the recommendation

This strategy will strengthen even the strongest

•The smallest and weakest publishers will go out of business

•The weak publishers will become more weak

•The strongest companies will miss competition and by this become stronger

Can an Open Access mandate avoid destroying a well functioning publication system?

NOOpen Access green is not a solution in and of itself

but a strategic means to destroy the current publishing

system

Jørgen BurchardtThe Society of Danish Science Editors

jorgen.burchardt@mail.dkwww.burchardt.name

www.videnssamfundet.dk