EDP Open, the Open Access publishing arm of EDP Sciences, has released the results of a survey to appraise attitudes toward Open Access amongst learned society publishers. The survey was answered by 33 learned societies and the results were further supplemented by a focus group held at the annual UKSG meeting in Harrogate in April.
Key findings include learned societies overwhelmingly agree that Open Access will inevitably place some learned societies' journals into financial jeopardy; competing with large Open Access specialist publishers was also considered a significant challenge for learned societies; and Gold Open Access is the Open Access method that is least offered by learned society journals, however nearly two-thirds of learned societies indicated that they would like to be offering this option.
The other findings include more than ever before, with so many journals being published Open Access of dubious origin, learned societies should look to endorse content with a stamp of quality and authority; collaboration between learned societies could help in the transition to Open Access, by pooling resources and sharing complex tasks; and two-thirds of all learned societies are also looking for support on best approach to OA, and compliance with funder mandates.
Although the survey results reveal concerns amongst learned societies relating to their traditional activities and revenue streams, there was also enthusiasm for the potential of Open Access to increase dissemination of research information, particularly to poor and developing countries. Learned societies also felt there was a strong opportunity for increasing inter-disciplinary access to research information and for the acceleration of research impact.
