Faculty attitudes towards Open Access Publishing

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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


How did Open Access publishing vary by rank?


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%




Laurier Faculty who have published in an OA journal by rank

yes no uncertain

How did Open Access publishing vary by discipline?


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?


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



“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


How did OA peer-review responses vary by rank?


0%

20%

40%

60%

80%




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%




Brock Faculty



OA peer reviewed often or sometimes

OA peer reviewed unsure

How did OA peer-review responses vary by discipline?


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



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



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


Can Open Access journals count towards tenure / promotion?


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?


View Brock LaurierCurrent standards discourage 18% 24%

Neutral 45% 41%

Current standards do not discourage

34% 24%


“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


“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


“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


“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


Do faculty plan on publishing in an OA journal?


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?


320 9

824

17

18 60 38

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%




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%




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?


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


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


“…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


75% of Laurier faculty and

77% of Brock faculty

do not want to use their

grant money to publish in an

OA journal


“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


LIBRARIAN’S

Lessons Learned and Next Steps

“Survey lessons” so far from the process


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


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


•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]

Ian [email protected]

Carol [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]



Education

Faculty attitudes towards Open Access Publishing