Will Brown join the ranks of some 135 institutions with open-access research mandates? As University officials investigate this possibility, we direct their attention to Brown's mission: "To serve the community, the nation and the world by discovering, communicating and preserving knowledge and understanding in a spirit of free inquiry." Open-access research policies are in line with our mission, and we can better serve the community, nation and world by making research findings available to everyone.
The chief rationale for open-access policies is to make research freely accessible. The policies, which often include permission of distribution rights to the university, provisions for waiving this requirement and the deposition research in an institutional depository, can also encourage better tracking of research outputs by universities. Freely accessible research is more widely read, and therefore has a larger potential impact. Open-access policies also support inclusion by ensuring that research is made available to all people. With increasing gaps between academic materials available at public libraries and private institutions like Brown, this is one way to combat the exclusion of non-affiliated individuals from scholarly knowledge.
Some express worry about what open-access policies could mean for scholars' publication options and, by extension, their careers. These concerns tend to be overstated. Institutions adopting open-access research policies can educate their researchers on how to negotiate with journals, and institutional commitments to open access may help to increase researchers' bargaining power. In cases in which a journal will not consider publication without exclusive rights, policies that allow researchers to apply for a waiver of the open access requirement enable them to pursue publication in the venues of their choice. This "opt-out" option protects researchers' interests in a time of transition, while still making a strong and influential stand in favor of open access.
We respect the complexity of the implementation and the implications of open-access policies. We are fortunate to be able to draw on a wealth of support resources and the experiences of many peer institutions as we consider the best move for our University. But in keeping with our mission, we maintain that the question is not whether Brown should support open access to research, but how.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
