Category Archives: oa.uk

Scientific collaboration on open science in the field of Information Science

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Abstract:  Open Science is a movement largely based on knowledge sharing and its discussion has been carried out by several areas, including Information Science. Scientific collaboration has potential to benefit science in several ways, however, little is known about country collaboration in this area. Objective: Therefore, the objective of this work is to analyze scientific cooperation between countries on the subject of Open Science in the field of Information Science. Methodology: The network analysis method (co-authorship between countries) and the frequency of keywords were used to identify the most discussed subjects. Results: The results showed that England has a central position in the scientific collaboration network. However, it is necessary to improve communication to avoid loss of quality in the information transmission. Conclusion: The Open Access theme is still the most evident, however, topics such as research data management have gained notoriety in discussions on Open Science in the field of Information Science.

Open Repositories Team Lead – Careers Portal Careers

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“We are looking for a repository manager to join the team to implement and lead a programme of work to review, update, host and maintain the current institutional repositories ePubs and eData.  In addition to developing the current research outputs repositories, you will build a team of data stewards who will curate the content of the repositories and any new repositories that are in development.

The post will be part of an Open Science theme of work within the Scientific Computing Department. We deliver services to researchers across STFC and have staff based at both the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in Oxfordshire and the Daresbury Laboratory (DL) near Warrington. The Group is responsible for the development and operation of library services, open access and open data services including two institutional repositories (ePubs and eData). It also undertakes research and development in open science practices and supporting technologies such as Persistent Identifiers, FAIR data and works with UKRI on Open Science Policy. Additionally members of the Group are active in national and international networks including the Research Data Alliance.

You will lead a review to identify a new repository platform for our existing repositories ePubs and eData and for several new repositories that are under development. Following the review, you will implement a change programme to install, configure and migrate data from our current repositories to a new platform(s)….”

UKRI monograph open access policy coming soon: here’s what you need to know – Jisc

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“From 1 January 2024, monographs, book chapters or edited collections acknowledging funding from UKRI or any of its councils must be made open access (OA) within 12 months of publication. This is the first time that long-form research outputs have been included in UKRI’s open access policy. Not only does the new policy align with the approach of other funders such as the Wellcome Trust, it also implements the government’s firm commitment for open publication of publicly-funded research.

However, it is important to recognise that the OA landscape for long-form research outputs is less mature than for short-form outputs such as journal articles, and this will be a significant change for funded authors. Those affected by the changes may have queries or concerns, but UKRI’s OA policy has been written to allow a smooth transition and reduce disruption. For example, they have just announced a bedding-in period of 9 months from policy launch to allow institutions time to adjust and smooth out processes.

New UKRI policy requirements

The core requirements are:

The final Version of Record or Author’s Accepted Manuscript must be free to view and download via an online publication platform, publisher’s website, or institutional or subject repository within a maximum of 12 months of publication
The OA version of the publication must have a Creative Commons licence, with an Open Government Licence (OGL) also permitted.
Images, illustrations, tables and other supporting content should be included in the OA version where possible (third-party materials DO NOT require a CC licence)….”

[Code of Practice for data mining in the UK]

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“While many other countries have clarified their intellectual property laws to support AI and innovation, the UK has yet to introduce a text and data mining exception to explicitly support knowledge transfer and commercial AI. Given this, the Code of Practice provides a particularly important opportunity to provide clarity and ensure that the UK remains an atractive place to undertake and invest in machine learning.?…”

In order that the UK remains competitve in?scientific and technology markets, the government should ensure that a Code of Practice: · Clarifies that access to broad and varied data sets that are publicly available online remain available for analysis, including text and data mining, without the need for licensing. · Recognises that even without an explicit commercial text and data mining exception, exceptions and limits on copyright law exist that would permit text and data mining for commercial purposes….”

RLUK signs text and data mining (TDM) in the UK letter – Research Libraries UK

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“RLUK has signed a multi-organisation letter urging the UK Government to ensure the UK is a favourable place to develop and use safe AI, by clarifying that public and legally accessed data is available for AI training and analysis in its Code of Practice.

The availability of public and legally accessed data is key to lowering barriers to entry, both technical and financial. It incentivises innovation and helps to create an environment in which the UK can be competitive in the AI market.

The letter describes a number of principles that should underpin the Code of Practice and lists specific features that should be included to ensure TDM and development of AI is not unnecessarily restricted. The letter can be read in full on the IP Federation’s website.”

43 UK institutions reforming recruitment and promotion | UK Reproducibility Network

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“Today the UKRN is delighted to announce the launch of one of the largest national initiatives in the world to reform how open research is recognised and rewarded when researchers are recruited, promoted and appraised. The ‘OR4’ project, part of the UKRN’s Open Research Programme, today announces the 43 UK academic research organisations that have joined either as case studies or as part of a wider community of practice. This group of institutions is incredibly diverse, including the Royal College of Music, Queen’s University Belfast, the Universities of Cambridge, the West of Scotland, Swansea and Durham, and the CRUK Scotland Institute (full list on the OR4 web page). Together, they employ over 80,000 academic staff, all of whom we hope will benefit from this initiative. OR4 also aligns UK developments with leading international work, for example, CoARA, the European OPUS Project, and US HELIOS network. For more information, please see the OR4 web page.”

UKRI open access fund for longform publications: Stage 1 demonstration

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“UKRI’s open access policy for longform publications applies from 1 January 2024. Longform publications in scope of the policy are monographs, book chapters, and edited collections.

To support the policy, UKRI is providing a dedicated fund to support open access costs for in-scope publications. There is a two-stage process for UKRI’s fund: – Stage 1 where the research organisation registers the output(s) with UKRI for funding. – Stage 2 where the research organisation provides final confirmation of publication to allow UKRI to release funds. Join us for a webinar where we will demonstrate the Stage 1 application process. Stage 1 will open for applications from the end of November.”

Update on UKRI open access policy and fund for books | UKRI

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From 1 January 2024, UKRI’s open access policy will apply to monographs, book chapters and edited collections that need to acknowledge UKRI funding.

The policy aims to ensure that findings from the breadth of research UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds with public money can be freely accessed.

This will enable findings to be more easily built on by the research and innovation community and wider society.

The policy also seeks to support wider community development of open access for long-form research publications.

UKRI is providing a £3.5 million dedicated fund to support open access costs for long-form publications within the scope of the policy.

 

RLUK ICIL | Stolen Tools: Anti-Racist and Democratic OA Publishing Tickets, Tue, Dec 5, 2023 at 2:00 PM | Eventbrite

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“In a decolonial project to disrupt traditional paradigms of academic publishing, a collaborative initiative was forged between a group of health inequalities researchers. With the support of King’s College London, Libraries & Collections, this synergy birthed ‘Stolen Tools’, a pioneering open-access journal providing a platform for voices historically relegated to the periphery of academic discourse.

Unlike conventional publishing frameworks that primarily evaluate a manuscript’s content before acceptance, this model adopts a proactive stance by accepting authors of colour at the ideation stage. It augments their scholarly journey by pairing them with seasoned academic mentors – termed ‘critical friends’. This symbiotic relationship nurtures innovative academic research. Central to this initiative is a decolonial ethos aimed at dismantling the ivory tower’s barriers that have hindered many potential authors from contributing to the academic discourse.

This model envisions a more inclusive, anti-racist, and democratic academic publishing landscape whereby diverse narratives and epistemologies are accorded a rightful place within academic scholarship. This talk will outline their journey so far, how the journal team and King’s Libraries & Collections have worked together and their plans for a crowd sourcing solidarity sponsorship model….”

Cambridge Open Research Conference 2023: The stage is set – Unlocking Research

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“The programme is ready, spaces are nearly full, and we are nearing Cambridge University Libraries’ annual conference on Open Research (OR), taking place at Downing College or online on Friday 17 November 2023. This year’s theme is Open Research for Inclusion: Spotlighting Different Voices in Open Research at Cambridge.

OR is designed to promote equity and inclusion by ensuring that research is accessible to all, regardless of research background, location, or affiliation. The conference will acknowledge that OR can look different in different areas, with the common goal of advancing knowledge and understanding. Giving a voice to OR from diverse perspectives can propel learning, collaboration, and allow us to learn from one another’s approaches to openness….”

Event: Copim Connects Librarians – OA books options and advice for your authors (hosted online by ALN & Copim), Nov 28, 2023, 10-11.30am (GMT) | Academic Libraries North

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Date: Tuesday 28 November 2023  
Time: 10.00 – 11.30 
Format: Online via Teams

With the imminent launch of the UKRI OA books policy in January, and the rise in activity surrounding OA book publishing more broadly, authors need sound guidance to navigate this rapidly developing area of publishing. This webinar, jointly organised by ALN and OA books experts from Copim, will support librarians in making authors aware of their open access options for books. 

Featuring librarian speakers, an OA publisher, and an author with experience of publishing their book OA, this session will cover:

The different publishing options available to authors, including no-BPC outlets and the rise in specialist, community-led, born-OA presses;
How to tackle the thorny issue of prestige;
The essential information about policies, including UKRI, PALOMERA, and the REF;
The range of resources that currently exist to support authors in understanding OA books, including licensing and fees.

This session will give you tools to support your researchers and to help facilitate the transition to open information and removing barriers to access. You will come away with a better understanding of how open access for books is being facilitated and the different ways you can share this information with your researchers.

SPEAKERS

Chair: Elaine Sykes, Acting Associate Director, Content and Open Research, Lancaster University Library
Publisher: Lucy Barnes, Senior Editor and Outreach Coordinator, Open Book Publishers & Outreach Lead for the Copim Open Book Futures Project
Librarian: Alex Wheeler, Academic Liaison Librarian, Manchester Metropolitan University
Librarian: Emily Nunn, Scholarly Communications Librarian, University of Sheffield
Author/academic: Professor Caroline Warman, Zeitlyn Fellow and Tutor in French at Jesus College and Professor of French Literature and Thought at the University of Oxford

This webinar is aimed at Liaison Librarians and other colleagues on the ‘front line’ of talking to academics about OA books.

 

Open-access theology : introducing the St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology’s digital publishing model

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Abstract:  The St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology (SAET) is an online multi-author reference work designed as a resource for those engaged with, or wishing to learn more about, the academic study of theology. The SAET seeks to provide a suite of comprehensive, fully open-access peer-reviewed articles with no fees or sign-up requirements. In doing so, the editors aim to improve the availability of high-quality information for readers worldwide, especially those for whom access to resources through traditional academic publishing is restricted by cost, lack of institutional affiliation, or limited library resources. This article introduces the SAET’s digital publishing model, discussing the scholarly and editorial principles that have informed the development of the project. In particular, the article examines the ways in which the SAET’s commitment to providing quality open-access scholarship has significantly shaped the project’s information management and publishing processes. Technical strategies for widening access to theological knowledge are discussed, focusing on information discovery through the Encyclopaedia’s faceted search and in-article hyperlinks, as well as available article formats (HTML and PDF). This is accompanied by an explanation of strategies for long-term curation and preservation of theological knowledge within the SAET, namely capturing and preserving conceptual information through enriched XML mark-up and embedded metadata. The SAET’s article lifecycle is then conceptualized in reference to digital curation and preservation actions described by the Digital Curation Centre’s ‘DCC Curation Lifecycle Model’, leading to conclusions about the distinctive character of the SAET article workflow, in which curation and preservation of theological knowledge is integrated into its creation and production.

 

Open access: evolution not revolution | The Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England

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“Thus, following discussion and vote of the editorial board, the [The Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England] will become a fully gold open access journal from January 2024….

Why should the Annals change to gold OA?

• Over half of academic journal publishers currently report decreasing institutional subscriptions and the Annals reflects this trend.1

• There has been an exponential increase in OA with 60% of journal publishers reporting increased demand from authors, and 36% reporting OA downloads outperforming subscription content.1

• Research funders (including Wellcome Trust and UKRI) and many universities now stipulate OA deposit of accepted manuscripts in their institutional repositories.

• OA publishing is compliant with Plan S, supported by cOAlition S, which requires research funded by public grants to be published in OA journals or platforms….

 

The APC is fully waived for accepted manuscripts where the lead or senior author is a current fellow, member or affiliate of RCS England. Of note, annual membership fees are lower than the APC for one publication….”