Today is not that day: Struggles in #openscience advocacy – Sparkinson
peter.suber's bookmarks 2020-05-06
Summary:
"Over the past year, I’ve been trying to convince researchers to retrospectively publish their articles (for free!) as green open access in the university repository (or a general repository such as Zenodo). I thought that:
- If they’d knew this option exists …
- If only I would tell them they could republish their closed access papers in open access, without extra cost for them ..
they would all come running and do ‘the right thing’. Some did, but for others, the timing of my question never seems right. Priorities lie elsewhere.
So today I’m not only sad. I’m also afraid.
- What I’m really afraid of is that some scientists don’t truly see the value of letting patients in on their work. Just as men once didn’t see the value of women taking a vote;
- What I’m really afraid of is that people are not willing to consider how they have a role in shaping the things they say they don’t want;
- What I’m really afraid of is that it’s not in ‘not knowing’ how to change the system, but in ‘not caring’ enough;
- What I’m really afraid of is that I’m as naive as I’ve been told over and over again in all my efforts to make the world – my world – a bit better.
Don’t worry. I know myself. I will get back on my feet, no matter what people tell me."