Brock and Laurier University Libraries exploratory survey on Open Access publishing beliefs and practices
Ontario Library Association Super Conference 2015
Session 1605
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Faculty attitudes towards Open Access Publishing
“It’s a bit like the Wild West out there”
1/30/2015Ian Gibson, Barbara McDonald, Carol Stephenson, Elizabeth
Yates
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
The Good, the Bad & The Ugly Uncertain
•Found researchers:
•Like the idea of openness
•But have lots of misconceptions about OA and reluctant to embrace it
Today we will highlight:
•Disciplinary and institutional differences and similarities in researchers’ attitudes towards Open Access and their publishing practices
•Faculty members’ main priorities when selecting where to publish
•Future directions for promoting scholarly communication outreach and study
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Brock For Both Sides of the Brain•Specializes in applied health sciences, business, chemistry, education, oenology & viticulture, psychology, sport management, arts and humanities, social sciences, sciences
•Focus on transdisciplinary community-based research, experiential learning
•Pressured by fiscal constraints, program review, differentiation
•Brock celebrated 50 years in 2014
•18,688 students
•547 full time faculty, 18 Permanent Librarians + 1 LTA
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
LaurierInspiring Lives of Leadership and Purpose
•Specializes in arts and social sciences, business and economics, music, social work, science, education and theology
•Commitment to teaching, research and scholarship, strong student focus
•Tremendous change – centennial in 2011, time of program prioritization and fiscal constraints
•17,000 students
•510 full-time faculty, 360 part-time, 22 librarians
•locations in Waterloo, Kitchener, Brantford
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Survey hypotheses
1) Faculty participate at a minimal level in Open Access publishing
2) Faculty have minimal knowledge about Open Access
3) Faculty have neutral or somewhat positive attitudes about Open Access
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Survey definition of Open Access
•A journal which makes all of its content immediately available for free to its readers
•Readers do not pay any subscriptions or other fees to access any articles in an Open Access journal
•In today’s information ecosystem, Open Access journals co-exist with traditional, subscription-based scholarly journals
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Survey design
•Current publishing practices – 3 questions
•Knowledge of Open Access publishing – 4 questions
•Attitudes to Open Access – 2 questions
•Demographics – 6 questions
•Comment options on most questions
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Survey delivery
Brock Laurier• Personalized email to 547 faculty
• Survey ran for 4 weeks March/April 2014
• March 25 initial email
• Two reminders
• Listserv emails to 510 full-time (FT) and 360 part-time (PT) faculty
• Survey ran for 4 weeks October/November 2014
• October 21 initial email
• Two reminders
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Survey response
Brock Laurier• 239 responses
• 208 completed (38% response) (didn’t ask about FT or PT)
• 116 added comments
• 158 responses
• 138 completed (115 FT, 19, PT, 4 notidentified) (22.5% FT response, 5.3% PT response)
• 67 added comments
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
What did we learn about hypothesis 1?
•Faculty participate at a minimal level in Open Access
One measure: have faculty published in an Open Access journal?
Across Laurier & Brock, @ 40%
Significant rank and disciplinary differences
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Have faculty published in an OA journal?
Brock Laurier• 41% have published in an OA journal
• 51% have NOT published in an OA journal
• 8% are not sure
• 45% have published in an OA journal
• 48% have NOT published in an OA journal
• 7% are not sure
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
How did Open Access publishing vary by rank?
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
1150
24
14
49
34
46 6
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Assistant Professor(n=29)
Associate Professor(n=105)
Full Professor (n=64)
Brock faculty who have published in an OA journal by rank
yes no uncertain
12 17
19
1620
13
15
1
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Assistant Professor(n=29)
Associate Professor(n=42)
Full Professor (n=33)
Laurier Faculty who have published in an OA journal by rank
yes no uncertain
How did Open Access publishing vary by discipline?
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
23
7
148
33
17
18
15
16
36
3 3 3 3 5
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Arts &Humanities
(n=43)
Business(n=28)
HealthScience(n=32)
Science(n=27)
SocialScience(n=74)
Brock faculty who have published in an OA journal by discipline
yes no uncertain
8 3
5
11 24
179
2
1223
3 5
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Arts &Humanities
(n=28)
Business(n=12)
HealthScience
(n=7)
Science(n=23)
SocialScience(n=52)
Laurier faculty who have published in an OA journal by discipline
yes no uncertain
What did we learn about hypothesis 2?
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Faculty have minimal knowledge about Open Access
◦Measured by:
◦Peer review & OA
While peer review is the most important factor in deciding where to publish, there is uncertainty about the consistency of peer review in Open Access
What factors are most important in deciding where to publish?
Brock Laurier
1. Journal is peer-reviewed (41% selected as most important factor)
2. Journal prestige within my discipline3. Impact Factor4. Quality of editor/editorial board5. Articles available to the general public6. Impact on promotion / tenure process7. Work is more likely to be cited 8. Speed of review process
1. Journal is peer-reviewed (66% selected as most important factor)
2. Journal prestige within my discipline3. Impact Factor4. Impact on promotion / tenure process5. Work is more likely to be cited 6. Speed of review process7. Articles available to the general public8. Quality of editor/editorial board
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
“If the journal is not peer reviewed I would not consider it to be a ‘real’ journal, and I expect that my colleagues would agree.”
-- Laurier faculty
What is their understanding of peer review in OA?
Brock Laurier• 10% believe OA journals are always
peer-reviewed
• 70% believe OA journals are sometimes or often peer-reviewed
• 20% are unsure
• 12% of OA journals are always peer-reviewed
• 78% of OA journals are sometimes or often peer-reviewed
• 10% are unsure
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
How did OA peer-review responses vary by rank?
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Assistant Professor(n=29)
Associate Professor(n=42)
Full Professor (n=33)
Laurier Faculty
Peer review most important publishing factor
OA always peer reviewed
OA often or sometimes peer reviewed
OA never peer reviewed or unsure
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Assistant Professor(n=29)
Associate Professor(n=105)
Full Professor (n=62)
Brock Faculty
Peer review most important publishing factor
OA always peer reviewed
OA peer reviewed often or sometimes
OA peer reviewed unsure
How did OA peer-review responses vary by discipline?
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Arts &Humanities
(n=28)
Business(n=12)
HealthScience (n=7)
Science(n=23)
Social Science(n=52)
Laurier Faculty
Peer review most important publishing factor
OA always peer reviewed
OA peer reviewed sometimes or often
OA peer reviewed never or unsure
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Arts &Humanities
(n=43)
Business(n=28)
HealthScience(n=33)
Science(n=27)
Social Science(n=74)
Brock Faculty
Peer review most important publishing factor
OA always peer reviewed
OA peer reviewed often or sometimes
OA peer reviewed unsure
What we learned about hypothesis 2: OA & P&T
•Faculty have minimal knowledge about Open Access
Are Open Access Journals valued for promotion/tenure? Lots of conflicting opinions
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Can Open Access journals count towards tenure / promotion?
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
View Brock LaurierAlways counts towards tenure/promotion
21% 23%
Often or sometimes can count towards tenure/promotion
44% 46%
Never count towards tenure/promotion or unsure
35% 31%
Do current tenure/promotion standards support Open Access publishing?
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
View Brock LaurierCurrent standards discourage 18% 24%
Neutral 45% 41%
Current standards do not discourage
34% 24%
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
“When I see many publications in CVs that are for unrecognized open access journals, I take it as a sign of a failing career.”
-- Brock faculty
Sample of the promotion/tenure discussion
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
“Until criteria for tenure and promotion change, faculty must be very careful and strategic if they are to publish in open access journal … early career researchers, [who] might find their work in open access journals held against them. I would advise non-tenured faculty against it.”
-- Laurier faculty
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
“I believe the perception of Open Access journals as lesser in quality and lower in standards is a major problem for early-career researchers … the pressure to publish in ‘the top journals’ for tenure, combined with the exorbitant fees for Open Access charged by established publishers … ”
-- Laurier faculty
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
“I think OA is an exciting prospect .... At present, in my experience, OA lets especially junior scholars quickly push their work out to a wide audience.”
-- Brock faculty
What we learned about hypothesis 3
•Faculty have neutral or somewhat positive attitudes about Open Access
There is some interest in Open Access publishing,
but cost and quality are major concerns
Interest is matched by uncertainty
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Do faculty plan on publishing in an OA journal?
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Timeline Brock LaurierNext 6 months 17% 18%
Next 12 months 11% 13%
Next 1 to 5 years 16% 18%
Never 6% 7%
Uncertain 51% 45%
How did OA publishing plans vary by rank?
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
320 9
824
17
18 60 38
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Assistant Professor(n=29)
Associate Professor(n=104)
Full Professor (n=64)
Timeframe of Brock faculty who plan to publish an OA journal by rank
within 1 to 5 years within 1 year never or uncertain
6 84
11
108
12
2421
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Assistant Professor(n=29)
Associate Professor(n=42)
Full Professor (n=33)
Timeframe of faculty who plan to publish an OA journal by rank
within 1 to 5 years within a year never or uncertain
How did OA publishing plans vary by discipline?
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
84 3
17
10
3
10 8
23
24
25
19 1633
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Arts &Humanities
(n=42)
Business(n=28)
HealthScience(n=33)
Science(n=27)
SocialScience(n=73)
Timeframe of Brock faculty who plan to publish in an OA journal by discipline
% within 1 to 5 years % within a year
% never or uncertain
61
5 10
4
2
54
21
189
2
14
21
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Arts &Humanities
(n=28)
Business(n=12)
HealthScience
(n=7)
Science(n=23)
SocialScience(n=52)
Timeframe of Laurier faculty who plan to publish in an OA journal by discipline
within 1 to 5 years within a year never or uncertain
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
OPEN ACCESS
Are OA journals similar in quality to subscription journals?
Brock Laurier45% of similar or higher quality
55% of lower quality
56% of similar or higher quality
44% of lower quality
“YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR”…TAKING ON
SUBSCRIPTION JOURNALS
The uncertainty of quality
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
“…the pure so-called open access journals are actually just predatory businesses that do not offer proper peer review or other forms of quality control. We should have nothing to do with such journals.” -- Brock faculty
Wrangling the quality impediment
The uncertainty of costs
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
75% of Laurier faculty and
77% of Brock faculty
do not want to use their
grant money to publish in an
OA journal
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
“publishing in open access journals usually requires a fairly steep payment (in my field, $2000 is not uncommon)….So even though I despise the Elsevier-type journals, I can't afford to publish open access”
-- Laurier faculty
Wrangling the cost impediment
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
LIBRARIAN’S
Lessons Learned and Next Steps
“Survey lessons” so far from the process
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Brock Laurier
• Personal email invitations seem associated with higher response rate
• Individual emails start conversations
• Be selective when choosing a survey tool:
o features – question type, dissemination, analysis; good customer support
• General emails have impact on the day they are sent
• Librarians need more support to feel confident talking about OA
• Part-time faculty low response needs to be addressed in future communications
“Library lessons” so far from the results
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
Brock Laurier
Supporting Open Access costs is a key concern
Lots of basic education needed about Open Access > building political alliances will be key
Much more for us to learn about:• Conducting research• Faculty publishing practices
Supporting Open Access costs is a key concern
More information is needed about• Quality Open Access journal
options• Copyright and author rights
advocacy
Next steps
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES
•Continuing survey analysis > statistical analysis
•Publication
•Developing OA outreach strategies based on survey results e.g.
•Strategies for selecting a (OA) journal
•Predatory publishing
•“Free” venues for Open Access
Thank-you. Questions?
Brock contact Laurier contactElizabeth [email protected]
Carol [email protected]
1/30/2015 IAN GIBSON, BARBARA MCDONALD, CAROL STEPHENSON, ELIZABETH YATES