Now I can see how Willinsky uses the open-access movement to argue his thesis. After mentioning the PLoS, PMC, OAI, BOAI, OKI, and PKP, he makes this point: "This emerging commitment among scholars to make the knowledge they create freely available is at the heart of my own call to the readers and editors of this journal to consider how turning educational research into a more accessible public resource can further the connection between democracy and education. While offering open access to all forms of scholarly research is certainly a global boon to students and faculty and to curious minds everywhere, it has a special political significance for the social sciences, as this work bears directly on social policies, programs, and practices. If open access to research in the life sciences can create a more democratic and educational dynamic in doctor-patient relationships, then, as I have argued elsewhere (Willinsky, 2000a), it is worth exploring across the social sciences. Here I am specifically asking researchers in the field of education to consider how greater public access to educational research is consistent with our understanding of what we do to foster education and further democratic participation, just as it speaks to the love of learning and pursuit of knowledge that has driven so many of us in this line of work."
Posted by
Peter Suber at 12/08/2002 04:02:00 PM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
