Journal of Science Policy & Governance
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • JSPG Anniversary Page
    • Staff
    • Ambassadors
    • Boards >
      • Advisory Board
      • Governing Board
      • Editorial Board
    • Careers >
      • Associate Editor
      • Ambassador
    • Partners
    • Sponsorships
    • Contact
  • Volumes
    • Volume 22 Issue 01
    • GHFUTURES2030 Strengthening Youth-centered Policy and Governance of Digital Transformations in Health.
    • UNESCO AND MGCY OPEN SCIENCE POLICIES AS AN ACCELERATOR FOR ACHIEVING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
    • Volume 21 Issue 01 >
      • Cover Memo: Volume 21, Issue 1, Summer Standard Issue
    • JSPG and UCL STEAPP Special Topics: Innovations in Science Diplomacy >
      • Cover Memo: Volume 20, Issue 3, Special Issue on Innovations in Science Diplomacy
    • Sigma XI-JSPG Special Issue: Re-envisioning STEM Education and Workforce Development for the 21st Century
    • Volume 20 Issue 01
    • JSPG Volume 19 Issue 01 (10 Years of Publishing)
    • Special Issue: 2021 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Special Issue: Shaping the Future of Science Policy
    • JSPG-UK SIN Special Issue: Climate Change Solutions
    • Volume 18 Issue 01
    • Special Issue: 2020 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Volume 17 Issue 01 (Supported by AAAS STPF)
    • JSPG-UN MGCY Special Issue: Impacts of Emerging Technologies
    • Volume 16 Issue 01
    • Volume 15 (Supported by CSPC)
    • Special Issue: 2019 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Volume 14
    • Volume 13
    • Volume 12
    • Volume 11
    • Volume 10
    • Volume 9
    • Volume 8
    • Volume 7
    • Volume 6
    • JSPG-UCS Special Issue: Healthy Food Policy
    • Volume 5
    • Volume 4
    • Special Issue: Hot Topics 2013
    • Volume 3
    • Volume 2
    • Volume 1
  • Submit to JSPG
    • Special Topics Call for Submissions: Policy and Governance on Science, Technology and Global Security
    • Submission deadlines and guidelines
  • Announcements
    • News
    • Blog
  • Events
    • JSPG, APS FPS Events
    • Leadership chat series
  • Training
    • Writing
    • Resources
  • Media Mentions
  • Policy in action
  • Podcast

Publish, Don’t Perish: Recommendations for Mitigating Impacts of the New Federal Open Access Policy

Journal of Science Policy & Governance
​Volume 22, Issue 01 | March 6, 2023

Op-Ed: Publish, Don’t Perish: Recommendations for Mitigating Impacts of the New Federal Open Access Policy 

Alexander B. Belles (1), Karen E. Beatty (2,3), Claire H. Rodman (4), Charles J. Connolly (5)​
  1. The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University Park, PA
  2. The Pennsylvania State University, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, University Park, PA
  3. The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University Park, PA
  4. The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University Park, PA
  5. The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Food Science, University Park, PA
​
Corresponding author: clairehumerodman@gmail.com ​
DowNLOAD PDF
Keywords: open access publishing; open science; academia; scientific research; publication embargo​
https://doi.org/10.38126/JSPG220101 ​

Executive Summary

In August, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued a new policy requiring that all federally funded scholarly research be accessible to the public immediately upon publication. While this open access policy will ultimately benefit society by increasing the availability of data and research outputs, it could place a heavy burden on researchers due to the relatively high cost of open access alongside an academic culture that tends to favor publishing in high impact subscription journals. We examine the complexities of the traditional publishing landscape and offer recommendations for agencies, universities, and publishers to mitigate the impacts on researchers. Specifically, we recommend a short-term increase in funding to cover higher publishing costs, but contributions from all stakeholders are needed to facilitate a long-term solution. ​

-Read the full article through download.-

DOWNLOAD PDF
<< Issue page
Next Article >>

Background header image courtesy of plos

Alexander Belles is a 5th year PhD candidate in Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State University. He received his BA in Physics and Mathematics from SUNY Geneseo in 2018 and his MS in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Penn State in 2020. He studies the properties of dust in nearby galaxies using NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. 
​

Karen Beatty is a MSc student at Pennsylvania State University in the Ecology program. She is currently studying how waterfowl movement and landscape use changes in response to environmental factors, and she is broadly interested in using applied research and policy to mitigate the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on wildlife. 

Claire Rodman is a 5th year PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering and the Advocacy Committee Co-Chair of the Science Policy Society at Penn State. She earned her BS from Boston University in Biomedical Engineering in 2018, and her MS from Penn State in Mechanical Engineering in 2020. She studies human locomotion using bipedal robotics methods and predictive modeling. 

Charlie Connolly is a PhD student at Pennsylvania State University in the Food Science program. He earned his BS from University of Wisconsin-Madison in Microbiology in 2018, and his MS from Pennsylvania State University in Food Science in 2021. He is working on fungal biomaterials and fungal recombinant protein production. 

References

  1. “Article Processing Charges | Open Research Europe.” n.d. Accessed October 25, 2022. https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/for-a uthors/article-processing-charges. 
  2. Bloom, Nicholas, Charles I. Jones, John Van Reenen, and Michael Webb. 2020. “Are Ideas Getting Harder to Find?” American Economic Review 110 (4): 1104-44. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20180338. 
  3. Carr, David. 2020. “Coronavirus (COVID-19): Sharing Research Data.” Wellcome. January 31, 2020. https://wellcome.org/press-release/sharing-rese arch-data-and-findings-relevant-novel-coronavirus-ncov-outbreak. 
  4. Chu, Johan S. G., and James A. Evans. 2021. “Slowed Canonical Progress in Large Fields of Science.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118 (41): e2021636118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2021636118. 
  5. Collison, Patrick, and Michael Nielsen. 2018. “Is Science Stagnant?” The Atlantic, November 16, 2018.  https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2 018/11/diminishing-returns-science/575665/. 
  6. “Costs of Publishing in Springer Nature Journal.” n.d. Nature Support, Accessed October 25, 2022. https://support.nature.com/en/support/solutio ns/articles/6000084580-costs-of-publishing-in-s pringer-nature-journal. 
  7. Else, Holly. 2020. “Nature Journals Reveal Terms of Landmark Open-Access Option.” Nature 588 (7836): 19–20. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03324-y. 
  8. European Commission. n.d. “Horizon Europe.” Research and Innovation. Accessed October 25, 2022. https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/fu nding/funding-opportunities/funding-programm es-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en. 
  9. Holdren, John. 2013. “Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies: Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research.” February 22, 2013. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/def ault/files/microsites/ostp/ostp_public_access_memo_2013.pdf. 
  10. Houghton, John, Bruce Rasmussen, Peter Sheehan, Charles Oppenheim, Anne Morris, Claire Creaser, Helen Greenwood, et al. 2009. “Economic Implications of Alternative Scholarly Publishing Models: Exploring the Costs and Benefits a Report to the Joint Information Systems Committee.” Report to the Joint Information Systems Committee. January 2009. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/15222/1/EI-ASPM_Report .pdf. 
  11. Johnson, Eddie Bernice, and Frank Lucas. Letter to Dr. Arati Prabhakar. 2022, October 18, 2022. 
  12. Kell, Gretchen. 2021. "UC’s deal with Elsevier: What it took, what it means, why it matters.” 2021. University of California. March 18, 2021. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/uc s-deal-elsevier-what-it-took-what-it-means-why-i t-matters. 
  13. Lauer, Mike. 2021. “Long-Term Trends in the Age of Principal Investigators Supported for the First Time on NIH R01-Equivalent Awards – NIH Extramural Nexus.” November 18, 2021. https://nexus.od.nih.gov/all/2021/11/18/long-t erm-trends-in-the-age-of-principal-investigators 
  14. supported-for-the-first-time-on-nih-r01-awards/. McKiernan, Erin C, Lesley A Schimanski, Carol Muñoz Nieves, Lisa Matthias, Meredith T Niles, and Juan P Alperin. 2019. “Meta-Research: Use of the Journal Impact Factor in Academic Review, Promotion, and Tenure Evaluations.” ELife 8 (July): e47338. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.47338. 
  15. Moher D, Naudet F, Cristea IA, Miedema F, Ioannidis JPA, Goodman SN. 2018. “Assessing scientists for hiring, promotion, and tenure.” PLoS Biol 16(3): e2004089. 
  16. Nelson, Alondra. 2022. “Memorandum For The Heads Of Executive Departments And Agencies: Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research.” August 25, 2022. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08-2022-OSTP-Public-Access-Memo .pdf. 
  17. “Open Access Policy.” 2021. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. January 1, 2021. https://www.gatesfoundation.org/about/policies -and-resources/open-access-policy. 
  18. “OSTP Issues Guidance to Make Federally Funded Research Freely Available without Delay.” 2022. The White House. August 25, 2022. https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-update s/2022/08/25/ostp-issues-guidance-to-make-federally-funded-research-freely-available-without delay/. 
  19. Parikh, Sudip. 2022. “AAAS Statement on OSTP Federally Funded Research Guidance.” American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), August 25, 2022. https://www.aaas.org/news/aaas-statement-ostp-federally-funded-research-guidance. 
  20. Resnick, Brian. 2019. “The War to Free Science.” Vox, June 3, 2019. https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/6/3/ 18271538/open-access-elsevier-california-sci-hu b-academic-paywalls. 
  21. Subbaraman, Nidhi. 2019. “Rumours Fly about Changes to US Government Open-Access Policy.” Nature, December 20, 2019. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-0 3926-1. 
  22. Tollefson, Jeff, and Richard Van Noorden. 2022. “US Government Reveals Big Changes to Open-Access Policy.” Nature, August 26, 2022. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-0 2351-1. 
  23. Van Noorden, Richard. 2013. “Open Access: The True Cost of Science Publishing.” Nature 495 (7442): 426–29. ​https://doi.org/10.1038/495426a. 
  24. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). 2022. “Desirable Characteristics of Data Repositories for Federally Funded Research.” Executive Office of the President of the United States. May 2022. https://doi.org/10.5479/10088/113528. 
  25. Yirka, Bob. 2017. “NIH Initiatives to Overcome Age Bias in Grant Offerings Appear to Be Working.” Phys.org. June 6, 2017. https://phys.org/news/2017-06-nih-age-bias-grant.html.

DISCLAIMER: The findings and conclusions published herein are solely attributed to the author and not necessarily endorsed or adopted by the Journal of Science Policy and Governance. Articles are distributed in compliance with copyright and trademark agreements.

ISSN 2372-2193
Picture
© 2022 Journal of Science Policy & Governance, Inc. All rights reserved. The opinions, findings and conclusions from JSPG publications and events do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal.
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • JSPG Anniversary Page
    • Staff
    • Ambassadors
    • Boards >
      • Advisory Board
      • Governing Board
      • Editorial Board
    • Careers >
      • Associate Editor
      • Ambassador
    • Partners
    • Sponsorships
    • Contact
  • Volumes
    • Volume 22 Issue 01
    • GHFUTURES2030 Strengthening Youth-centered Policy and Governance of Digital Transformations in Health.
    • UNESCO AND MGCY OPEN SCIENCE POLICIES AS AN ACCELERATOR FOR ACHIEVING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
    • Volume 21 Issue 01 >
      • Cover Memo: Volume 21, Issue 1, Summer Standard Issue
    • JSPG and UCL STEAPP Special Topics: Innovations in Science Diplomacy >
      • Cover Memo: Volume 20, Issue 3, Special Issue on Innovations in Science Diplomacy
    • Sigma XI-JSPG Special Issue: Re-envisioning STEM Education and Workforce Development for the 21st Century
    • Volume 20 Issue 01
    • JSPG Volume 19 Issue 01 (10 Years of Publishing)
    • Special Issue: 2021 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Special Issue: Shaping the Future of Science Policy
    • JSPG-UK SIN Special Issue: Climate Change Solutions
    • Volume 18 Issue 01
    • Special Issue: 2020 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Volume 17 Issue 01 (Supported by AAAS STPF)
    • JSPG-UN MGCY Special Issue: Impacts of Emerging Technologies
    • Volume 16 Issue 01
    • Volume 15 (Supported by CSPC)
    • Special Issue: 2019 NSPN-JSPG Policy Memo Competition
    • Volume 14
    • Volume 13
    • Volume 12
    • Volume 11
    • Volume 10
    • Volume 9
    • Volume 8
    • Volume 7
    • Volume 6
    • JSPG-UCS Special Issue: Healthy Food Policy
    • Volume 5
    • Volume 4
    • Special Issue: Hot Topics 2013
    • Volume 3
    • Volume 2
    • Volume 1
  • Submit to JSPG
    • Special Topics Call for Submissions: Policy and Governance on Science, Technology and Global Security
    • Submission deadlines and guidelines
  • Announcements
    • News
    • Blog
  • Events
    • JSPG, APS FPS Events
    • Leadership chat series
  • Training
    • Writing
    • Resources
  • Media Mentions
  • Policy in action
  • Podcast