Comments on: Accountability and Open Access http://acrlog.org/2010/03/01/accountability-and-open-access/ Blogging by and for academic and research librarians Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:37:20 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Maura Smale http://acrlog.org/2010/03/01/accountability-and-open-access/comment-page-1/#comment-152526 Maura Smale Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:19:52 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=2691#comment-152526 Very good point, Robin. I saw the Poynder post linked from Dorothea Salo's place over at SciBlogs (http://scienceblogs.com/bookoftrogool/2010/02/oaspa_act_now_or_lose_credibil.php) and I think she says it better than I could: "It should seem natural, then, that both open-access and toll-access journals contain bad seeds, suffer scandal. For every Bentham, there's an Australasian Journal; for every SJI, there's an El Naschie. (Well, actually, I would guess there are quite a few more Australasians than Benthams lurking out there, because the toll-access slice of the journal pie is still so much larger, but you take my point.)" I think it's similar with "no-brainer" results -- those articles can be published in both open access and subscription journals. I hope we can use these kinds of articles to argue for more rigorous review for both kinds of publications. Very good point, Robin. I saw the Poynder post linked from Dorothea Salo’s place over at SciBlogs (http://scienceblogs.com/bookoftrogool/2010/02/oaspa_act_now_or_lose_credibil.php) and I think she says it better than I could:

“It should seem natural, then, that both open-access and toll-access journals contain bad seeds, suffer scandal. For every Bentham, there’s an Australasian Journal; for every SJI, there’s an El Naschie. (Well, actually, I would guess there are quite a few more Australasians than Benthams lurking out there, because the toll-access slice of the journal pie is still so much larger, but you take my point.)”

I think it’s similar with “no-brainer” results — those articles can be published in both open access and subscription journals. I hope we can use these kinds of articles to argue for more rigorous review for both kinds of publications.

]]> By: stevenb http://acrlog.org/2010/03/01/accountability-and-open-access/comment-page-1/#comment-152472 stevenb Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:50:36 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=2691#comment-152472 There is some possibility that the "accountability" factor could be a card played in the effort to encourage institutions to support open access. But what about those situations when our faculty produce articles that suggest very questionable research projects and the use of tuition and tax dollars for them - especially those studies with "no-brainer" findings, e.g., "New faculty research finds that most people prefer to eat fatty foods rather than diet" - when the general public sees this sort of thing - it really calls accountability into question - is that what faculty are doing with our tuition dollars and taxpayer funded research? Now - it may be there are some valid and important findings there - but that's not always the case - especially when faculty are under the gun to publish or perish. Otherwise the accountability issue tends to deal mostly with students - not faculty research - are higher education institutions graduating students who have achieved the learning outcomes that institution says they will have when they graduate. If we're not turning out students who can succeed in the workplace - or can't even graduate at all - they we will be held accountable for that failure. There is some possibility that the “accountability” factor could be a card played in the effort to encourage institutions to support open access. But what about those situations when our faculty produce articles that suggest very questionable research projects and the use of tuition and tax dollars for them – especially those studies with “no-brainer” findings, e.g., “New faculty research finds that most people prefer to eat fatty foods rather than diet” – when the general public sees this sort of thing – it really calls accountability into question – is that what faculty are doing with our tuition dollars and taxpayer funded research? Now – it may be there are some valid and important findings there – but that’s not always the case – especially when faculty are under the gun to publish or perish. Otherwise the accountability issue tends to deal mostly with students – not faculty research – are higher education institutions graduating students who have achieved the learning outcomes that institution says they will have when they graduate. If we’re not turning out students who can succeed in the workplace – or can’t even graduate at all – they we will be held accountable for that failure.

]]> By: Robin Sinn http://acrlog.org/2010/03/01/accountability-and-open-access/comment-page-1/#comment-152468 Robin Sinn Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:28:54 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=2691#comment-152468 Excellent point! But I just read a post yesterday by Richard Poynder (http://poynder.blogspot.com/2010/02/open-access-linked-to-alabama-shooting.html) indicating that lack of accountability and peer review by an 'open access' vanity journal had something to do with the Alabama shooting. This is the kind of publicity we DON'T want to attract. I hope that people realize this sort of thing (fraud) has been happening in the print journal world and will continue to happen in the online journal world. Most Open Access publishers follow peer review guidelines and are as rigorous as most print journals. It was interesting to read such different posts about Open Access and accountability in two days. Excellent point! But I just read a post yesterday by Richard Poynder (http://poynder.blogspot.com/2010/02/open-access-linked-to-alabama-shooting.html) indicating that lack of accountability and peer review by an ‘open access’ vanity journal had something to do with the Alabama shooting. This is the kind of publicity we DON’T want to attract.
I hope that people realize this sort of thing (fraud) has been happening in the print journal world and will continue to happen in the online journal world. Most Open Access publishers follow peer review guidelines and are as rigorous as most print journals.
It was interesting to read such different posts about Open Access and accountability in two days.

]]> By: barbara fister http://acrlog.org/2010/03/01/accountability-and-open-access/comment-page-1/#comment-152423 barbara fister Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:49:26 +0000 http://acrlog.org/?p=2691#comment-152423 I am SO totally with you on this! I am SO totally with you on this!

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