Open access aims to return academic publishing to its original intention of spreading knowledge and sharing research without the barriers of high publishing, distribution and licensing costs. Open access journals provide increased visibility for researchers and their work, and give students or other researchers easy access to the information they need.
Qatar National Library is at the forefront of the open access movement in Qatar, providing multiple avenues for Qatar-based authors to fund the publication of their research. Through the Open Access Author Fund, the Library directly pays the publishing costs on behalf of the researcher. The Library also has Read and Publish agreements with many major publishers, such as Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, Taylor and Francis, and IEEE, giving authors a fast, easy route to funding.
Both options are available for students, faculty, researchers and staff from any institute of higher education or non-profit research institute within Qatar. The Library has funded nearly 1,000 open access articles since 2017, increasing the reach and impact of Qatar’s research output.
Dr. Tariq Abbas, a pediatric urologist at Sidra Medical and Research Centre, used the Open Access Author Fund to publish his findings linked to research projects related to birth defects in children called hypospadias. The nature of his work covers a wide spectrum, including genetic makeup, antenatal diagnosis, surgical management, animal experiments and artificial intelligence.
The Library’s Open Access team has also made sure to streamline the process for applying for funding. Each funding request is evaluated to ensure the targeted publication aligns with the Library’s open access criteria, no other funding sources are available and the article has been approved for publication during the current year.
The Open Access Author Fund enhances Qatar-based research through open access to scholarly research, and creates and supports a permanent archive of Qatar-based research at the Library. Qatar National Library is also organising a series of online workshops and events as part of Open Access Week 2020.
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