Currently, publication in a peer-reviewed journal is the primary measure of any researcher’s work and career. This system has been around for centuries, and is intended to rigorously vet research and provide a platform for sharing discoveries-- a very important aim! But the intense pressure to “publish or perish,” the revenue-focused business model of academic publishers, and the rapid decline of print publishing has resulted in a system that’s flawed and problematic, and in many ways out-of-date.
The Open Access movement, which asserts that all research outputs be freely available online with no restrictions, and available for reuse with minimal or no restrictions, has emerged in response to the current system. The following video, from PHD comics, provides an introduction to Open Access and critique of the traditional publishing system.
The Open Publication movement seeks to answer the following questions: How can the current system be transformed so it’s more effective and open? What are some new strategies and platforms to share and find research findings, for maximum accessibility, reuse and impact? What can emerging researchers do to make their publications as freely available as possible to other researchers, and the public?