The MIT Press has released a report, “Access to Science & Scholarship 2024: Building an Evidence Base to Support the Future of Open Research Policy,” addressing critical issues in open access (OA) publishing and policy. The report, funded by the National Science Foundation, stems from a workshop held on September 20, 2024, at the American Association for the Advancement of Science headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The report explores how OA policies influence research ecosystems and identifies strategies to maximize their positive impact while addressing emerging challenges. Although open access seeks to democratize knowledge, it has also led to unintended consequences such as the consolidation of academic publishing, inconsistent quality control in an expanding pool of publications, and financial strain on less affluent institutions and regions.
The workshop convened leading experts to discuss pivotal issues, including:
• The impact of open access policies on the research ecosystem.
• Peer review's enduring role in maintaining research quality.
• Challenges and opportunities in data sharing and curation.
• Scholarly communication infrastructure and its evolution.
The report highlights pressing research questions, such as:
• How can policymakers anticipate the consequences of public access mandates?
• What equitable business models could funders support to transform scientific publishing?
• If peer review is separated from dissemination, who should oversee evaluation, and how can it be sustainably funded?
This comprehensive analysis underscores the importance of addressing these challenges to advance open science and scholarship effectively.
The full report, along with video recordings of the workshop, is available for download, offering valuable insights for policymakers, researchers, and publishers navigating the future of open access.
Click here to read the original press release.
