Harvard faculty say yes to OA

Posted on 13 February 2008
Filed under Academia, Open content, Publishing

Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences yesterday adopted a mandate for open access to the college’s peer-reviewed research publications.

Already, there’s quibbling from others about whether the details of the policy are good or bad. But I want to focus on the fact that the faculty, through their own governance process, themselves approved this mandate. Despite earlier evidence of the willingness of faculty to comply with OA mandates, and the support of researchers for public access legislation, this is the strongest indication yet: Yes, Virginia, scientists do want open access.

So when Allan Adler of the AAP says

Publishers don’t oppose open-access plans per se, Adler said. It is mandates they take issue with … With Harvard’s opt-out provision, he said, there’s still “some degree of choice.”

– then he will be well-served to remember what dastardly external force imposed such an onerous requirement on the researchers. Oh, right: it was the researchers themselves.