Findings are from a new global study ‘OA in physics: researcher perspectives’ commissioned by leading learned society physics publishers
A new global study from AIP Publishing, the American Physical Society (APS), IOP Publishing (IOPP) and Optica Publishing Group (formerly OSA) indicates that the majority of early career researchers (ECRs)* want to publish open access (OA) but they need grants from funding agencies to do so.
Over 3,000 physical science researchers from across the globe participated in the OA in physics: researcher perspectives study, which was carried out by the physics society publishers to better understand and meet the needs of the physical sciences community as it relates to OA.
67% of ECRs say that making their work openly available is important to them. Yet, 70% have been prevented from publishing OA because they have not been able to access the necessary monies from funding agencies to cover the cost. When asked why ECRs favour OA publishing, agreeing with its principles and benefitting from a wider readership were cited as the top two reasons.
Daniel Keirs, head of journal strategy at IOP Publishing said: “The OA views of the next generation of physicists are important as they are the harbingers of change when it comes to scholarly communications. What we see from this study is that ECRs believe that OA is the future, and they want to be able to reap the benefits of unrestricted access to research. Good progress has been made, but the transition to full OA must neither put researchers at a disadvantage nor disregard the costs necessary to produce, protect and preserve the quality and integrity of scholarly articles and the scientific record.”
Elizabeth Nolan, deputy executive director and chief publishing officer at Optica Publishing Group, formerly OSA said: “As society publishers, we want to be sure that the transition to OA does not create a divide between those who can pay to publish their work OA, and those who can’t. We believe that all authors should have the opportunity to publish their work, and the work published should represent the diversity of the global science community. Collaboration amongst all key stakeholders, a sustainable approach and a shared commitment to supporting high-quality OA publishing are key to overcoming barriers and developing OA policies, funding mechanisms and publishing options that ensure that ECRs are fully supported in the future.”
*Researchers with 1–5 years of experience
Media Contact:
Juliet Hannay
Juliet.Hannay@ioppublishing.org
About AIP Publishing
AIP Publishing’s mission is to advance, promote, and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity by breaking barriers to open, equitable research communication and empowering researchers to accelerate global progress. AIP Publishing is a wholly owned not-for-profit subsidiary of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) and supports the charitable, scientific, and educational purposes of AIP through scholarly publishing activities on its behalf and on behalf of our publishing partners.
About APS
The American Physical Society is a nonprofit membership organization working to advance and diffuse the knowledge of physics through its outstanding research journals, scientific meetings, and education, outreach, advocacy, and international activities. APS represents more than 50,000 members, including physicists in academia, national laboratories, and industry in the United States and throughout the world.
About IOP Publishing
IOP Publishing is a society-owned scientific publisher, delivering impact, recognition and value to the scientific community. Its product portfolio encompasses over 100 open access and hybrid journals, books, conference proceedings and a global science news programme, many of which are published in partnership with other learned societies. IOP Publishing is wholly owned subsidiary of the Institute of Physics, a not-for-profit society.
About Optica Publishing Group (formerly OSA)
Optica Publishing Group is a division of the society Optica (formerly OSA), Advancing Optics and Photonics Worldwide. It publishes the largest collection of peer-reviewed content in optics and photonics, including 18 prestigious journals, the society’s flagship member magazine, and papers from more than 835 conferences, including 6,500+ associated videos. With over 400,000 journal articles, conference papers and videos to search, discover and access, Optica Publishing Group represents the full range of research in the field from around the globe.