Expanding access to research publications - Research Information Network

“The report of the Working Group chaired by Dame Janet Finch published on 18 June recommends a programme of action to enable more people to read and use the publications arising from research... The full report is available for downloading below, along with an executive summary... The report recommends actions which can be taken in the UK which would help to promote much greater and faster access, while recognising that research and publications are international. It envisages that several different channels for communicating research results will remain important over the next few years, but recommends a clear policy direction in the UK towards support for open access publishing. This means that publishers receive their revenues from authors rather than readers, and so research articles become freely accessible to everyone immediately upon publication. At the same time, the report recommends extensions to current licensing arrangements in the higher education, health and other sectors; and it welcomes recent moves by publishers to provide access to the great majority of journals in public libraries. Dame Janet Finch, the Chair of the Working Group, said ‘The balanced programme we recommend will accelerate the progress towards a fully open access environment both in the UK and in the rest of the world. It will bring substantial benefits both for researchers, and everyone who has an interest in the results of their work. This report shows how representatives of the different stakeholder groups can work together to that end.’”