How will open access affect the humanities and social sciences? | SAGE Connection – Insight

"How open access will affect the humanities and social sciences sector (HSS) has been a topic of hot debate, one that has been called even more into focus since the new RCUK OA policy became effective on 1 April this year. What has become clearer is that a simple “one size fits all” approach cannot be taken for all research disciplines.  As many humanities and social science academics have argued, each discipline has its own distinctive way of creating contributions that inform debate and policy, and should therefore be treated separately and not as one (see here for further comment and explanation on these challenges and issues by SAGE’ Global Publishing Director, Ziyad Marar). In a newly published collection commissioned by the British Academy, these challenges and the opportunities for the HSS sector regarding OA publishing practices are examined. Debating Open Access, edited by the British Academy Vice-Presidents Professor Nigel Vincent and Professor Chris Wickham, illustrates that there is still much work to be done in ensuring that government policies to mandate open access publication do not damage the quality and reputation of UK academic research.  As one the publisher of the social sciences, we were delighted to be asked to contribute to

this collection.  Speaking about his involvement with the collection, SAGE’s Global Publishing Director, Ziyad Marar commented:  'The British Academy represents a key voice for humanities and social science scholars. At a time when compelling arguments are being set out for open movements of varying types, it is all the more important to understand that one size does not fit all: scholarly knowledge is not a homogenous block. I’m delighted to be contributing to this BA collection to help make the case for the distinctiveness of HSS as compared with many STEM disciplines.'  You can find Ziyad’s full article looking at open access and the role of publishers in creating scholarly knowledge here. Ziyad Marar can also be followed on twitter at @ZiyadMarar  ... The full collection of eight essays can be read here."