Category Archives: oa.universities

Leaders in open data: Welcoming eight new Dryad members | Dryad news

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“Researchers around the world entrust their research data to Dryad’s reliable curation and publishing process. Over 80 institutions and publishing organizations currently sponsor data publication on behalf of their affiliated researchers through Dryad’s membership program. Our eight newest members reflect the diversity of organizations partnering with Dryad to realize their open research strategy. We are pleased to welcome:

Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
Macalester College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Northeast Ohio Medical University
University of Maryland, College Park
University of Nevada, Reno
University of Oregon
European Respiratory Society…”

Conference “What do we want (or not want) from publishers?”, April 18, 2024 | Universiteiten van Nederland

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Looking beyond the current Dutch contract with Elsevier

UNL, NFU and NWO are delighted to announce a one-day conference entitled “What do we want (or not want) from publishers? Looking beyond the current Dutch contract with Elsevier” that will take place on Thursday, April 18 2024 in the Domstad Conference Centre, in Utrecht.

 

Hostler (2023) Open Research Reforms and The Capitalist University: Areas of Opposition and Alignment | SocArXiv Papers

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Hostler, T. (2022, May 7). Open Research Reforms and The Capitalist University: Areas of Opposition and Alignment. https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/r4qgc

Abstract:There is a need for a nuanced and theoretically grounded analysis of the socio-political consequences of methodological reforms proposed by the open research movement. This paper contributes by utilising the theory of academic capitalism and considering how open research reforms may interact with the priorities and practices of the capitalist university. Three manifestations of academic capitalism are considered: the development of a highly competitive job market for researchers based on metricized performance, the increase in administration resulting from university systems of compliance, and the reorganization of academic labour along principles of “post-academic science”. The ways in which open research reforms both oppose and align with these manifestations is then considered, to explore the relationships between specific reforms and academic capitalist praxis. Overall, it is concluded that open research advocates must engage more closely with the potential of reforms to negatively affect academic labour conditions, which may bring them into conflict with either university management, or those who uphold the traditional principles of an ‘all round’ academic role

 

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.”

IR @ INFLIBNET: Open Access Repository and Availability of ETDs in Nepal

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Abstract:  Most of the research work done around the globe as an academic mandate does not get published. Some of the researchers who publish their work in academic journals are not easily accessible to the general public due to their high subscription costs. Very few of them get published in an open-access repository accessible to all interested. Electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) are very important to the university students and other researchers because of their academic value. Despite its importance, the archived ETDs in the institutional repository of the universities abroad (western countries) are not accessible to the public. To fulfill this gap in scholarly communication, Nepali universities and some other institutions in Nepal have initiated digital archiving in an open-access medium. This paper tries to show the situation of digital repositories in Nepal. Ten major digital repositories of universities, research institutions, the United Nations Resource Centre in Nepal, and the digital repositories run by the organisations of Nepal government, as well as non-government organisations, have been selected for this study. They archive a variety of items including books, journal articles, book chapters, ETDs, reports, conference papers, and images while major collections in the university repositories are ETDs. Most of these repositories are open-access.

 

The state of green open access in Canadian universities | The Canadian Journal of Information and Library Science

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Abstract:  This study investigates the use of institutional repositories for self-archiving peer-reviewed work in the U15 (an association of fifteen Canadian research-intensive universities). It relates usage with university open access (OA) policy types and publisher policy embargoes. We show that of all articles found in OpenAlex attributed to U15 researchers, 45.1 to 56.6% are available as Gold or Green OA, yet only 0.5 to 10.7% (mean 4.2%) of these can be found on their respective U15 IRs. Our investigation shows a lack of OA policies from most institutions, journal policies with embargoes exceeding 12 months, and incomplete policy information.

 

The utilisation of open research data repositories for storing and sharing research data in higher learning institutions in Tanzania | Emerald Insight

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Abstract:  Purpose

The study aims to investigate the utilisation of open research data repositories (RDRs) for storing and sharing research data in higher learning institutions (HLIs) in Tanzania.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey research design was employed to collect data from postgraduate students at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Arusha, Tanzania. The data were collected and analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. A census sampling technique was employed to select the sample size for this study. The quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), whilst the qualitative data were analysed thematically.

Findings

Less than half of the respondents were aware of and were using open RDRs, including Zenodo, DataVerse, Dryad, OMERO, GitHub and Mendeley data repositories. More than half of the respondents were not willing to share research data and cited a lack of ownership after storing their research data in most of the open RDRs and data security. HILs need to conduct training on using trusted repositories and motivate postgraduate students to utilise open repositories (ORs). The challenges for underutilisation of open RDRs were a lack of policies governing the storage and sharing of research data and grant constraints.

Originality/value

Research data storage and sharing are of great interest to researchers in HILs to inform them to implement open RDRs to support these researchers. Open RDRs increase visibility within HILs and reduce research data loss, and research works will be cited and used publicly. This paper identifies the potential for additional studies focussed on this area.

Three US organizations reflect on their transition to OA | Research Information

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“In the US, the pace of transition to OA is accelerating. An increasing number of libraries are signing transformative agreements (TAs) that support authors to publish OA, while maintaining access to subscription content. The OSTP memorandum, with its emphasis on public access for federally funded research, has no doubt also prompted some institutions to review the support they provide for researchers whose projects must meet these requirements.

So, how can US institutions and research libraries adapt? In this new case study learn how Carnegie Mellon, the University of California, and SCELC provide insights into their transition to OA with Springer Nature, focusing on:

? the importance of OA for US research
? the impact of their TA
? the negotiation process
? communicating change to ensure uptake….”

Higher Education, Vol. 86, Iss. 4: Special Issue – The institutionalization of rankings in higher education: continuities, interdependencies, engagement

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Guest Editors:

Jelena Brankovic, Bielefeld University, Germany
Julian Hamann, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany
Leopold Ringel, Bielefeld University, Germany

[…] we introduce the special issue of Higher Education that centers on the question of the institutionalization of rankings in higher education. The article has three parts. In the first part, we argue that the grand narratives such as globalization and neoliberalism are unsatisfactory as standalone explanations of why and how college and university rankings become institutionalized. As a remedy, we invite scholars to pay closer attention to the dynamics specific to higher education that contribute to the proliferation, persistence, and embeddedness of rankings. In the second part, we weave the articles included in the issue into three sub-themes—continuities, interdependencies, and engagement—which we link to the overarching theme of institutionalization. Each contribution approaches the subject of rankings from a different angle and casts a different light on continuities, interdependencies, and engagement, thus suggesting that the overall story is much more intricate than often assumed. In the third and final part, we restate the main takeaways of the issue and note that systematic comparative research holds great promise for furthering our knowledge on the subject. We conclude the article with a hope that the special issue would stimulate further questioning of rankings—in higher education and higher education research.

 

Publish and flourish: investigating publication requirements for PhD students in China | Scientometrics

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Abstract:  This study analyzes the publication requirements of PhD programs in China. It is based on a representative sample of PhD programs from 164 Chinese universities from all fields of science. Our results show that Chinese PhD student significant pressures to publish in order to obtain their degree, with papers indexed in the Science Citation Index often a mandatory requirement for students to obtain their degree. Moreover, it is found that first authorship is also mandatory: only as first authors count towards the degree, which may affect PhD students’ collaborative behavior. These findings highlight the role of publications indexed in the Science Citation Index for China’s PhD programs and contributes to our understanding of the landscape of research evaluation in China’s higher education system.

 

After the “Nelson Memo”: Key Considerations for Delivering on the Promise of Open & Equitable Scholarship

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“This resource details practical steps that individuals and organizations can take to ensure that the emerging open-centric research ecosystem is optimized for equity, inclusivity, efficiency. replicability, transparency, trust, and engagement. It provides guidance to colleges and universities, public and private funders, professional societies, and others for aligning their processes and their incentive structures with open scholarship values. Additionally, It highlights a range of organizations that are exhibiting good practices in the field.”

Provost Directs Additional Funding To Curb Textbook Costs – Texas A&M Today

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“The affordability of attending college, especially when it comes to paying for high-priced textbooks, is squarely in the sights of Texas A&M University Provost Dr. Alan Sams. In one of his first acts as provost, Sams directed $500,000 in grant funding to support Open Educational Resources (OER) and underwrite the costs of developing free books, notes and other educational resources or revising courses to fit existing, openly available materials. The program is expected to reduce or eliminate textbook costs in 19 courses—saving Aggie students more than $1 million in just the first year.

“Open” textbooks are openly-licensed, digital textbooks that can be read, downloaded and printed online at no or low cost, for anyone to use and share freely.

Past university OER development grants for faculty and library staff have saved Aggies more than $1.5 million in textbook costs, and the latest grants aim to save students another $1 million each year.

Course professors in biology, business, computer science and computer engineering, ecology and conservation biology, history, mathematics, nursing and statistics have been working since the summer to develop free resources for students. Organic chemistry faculty are also working on OER books and notes as part of course redesign efforts….”

Open Access Week 2023: Imperial’s Research Publications Open Access Policy – Open Access and Digital Scholarship Blog

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“After many years of work, the College will soon be able to announce that we are updating our institutional open access policy to allow researchers to make their peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings available on open access under a CC BY licence at the point of publication with no embargo. This will apply to accepted manuscripts, and enable staff and students to retain their right to reuse the content of those outputs in teaching, research and further sharing of their work. …”

What Does the OSTP Memo Mean for Your Research? – Yale Library Study Spaces Scheduling – Yale University Library

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“In August 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released a memo stating that all federal funding agencies must develop or update policies for researchers and scholars to provide immediate open access to data and scholarship funded by their agencies.  As a researcher what do you need to know about this memo? What does it mean for your research, scholarship, and data? How can administrators and librarians support your work?…”

Celebrate International Open Access Week with Milner Library – News – Illinois State

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“International Open Access Week is upon us, and Milner Library has some ideas to help you celebrate. Defined by Peter Suber as, “Digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions,” Open Access expands access to publications, increases the impact of scholarship (by number of citations, for example), ?speeds up the rate of research, ?promotes one’s profile as a public scholar?, is altruistic, contributes to materials that can be used in classrooms, and ensures compliance with funder mandates. As a partner in university research and creative activities, Milner Library is committed to supporting Open Access initiatives.

Despite the long list of benefits associated with Open Access, obstacles to adoption persist. Most notably, publishers often charge fees to publish open access, and many scholars don’t have the funding to pay sometimes exorbitant fees. Another concern is that Open Access publishers can be associated with predatory practices or less rigorous peer-review processes. Scholars need to publish their work in venues where it will reach the intended audience. Milner Library facilitates connecting researchers to their readers in two significant ways:

The first is by hosting an institutional repository (ISU ReD) that preserves the scholarly and creative outputs of University authors and artists. ISU ReD currently hosts four peer-reviewed, Open Access journals, conference proceedings, student and faculty research, and University documents.
The second is by negotiating Open Access agreements with scholarly publishers that cover the cost of Open Access publishing for University authors. Milner Library entered into its first Open Access agreement with Cambridge University Press in 2021 and has since added agreements with Annual Reviews, Company of Biologists, IGI Global, and Taylor & Francis. Upcoming agreements, set to be effective January 2024 include Association for Computing Machinery, American Chemical Society, Institute of Physics, and Sage Publications. Recent University scholarship that has benefited from these agreements is available in ISU ReD’s Open Access Publishing Support collection.

Beginning Monday, October 23, Milner librarians will be reaching out to Illinois State authors who have published their work open access with the offer to deposit it in ISU ReD. Research shows that more (copies of) publicly available full-text means more opportunities for access and impact. For example, a recent study found that “making OA copies of manuscripts available in self-archiving or ‘green’ repositories results in a positive citation effect.” ”