Following on Council’s October 2004 approval in principle of open access --permanent, free, online access to the results of federally-funded research-- staff consulted with the social sciences and humanities community and reported on the options available to make open access a reality. The idea of open access to all research is widely accepted, but presents a number of implementation obstacles, and the community is by and large cautious. Rather than imposing mandatory requirements on researchers to publish via open access, Council chose to increase awareness of open access, pursue discussions with major stakeholders, and gradually incorporate open access provisions in research support programs.
For comparison, here's its position from October 2004:
At the October 2004 meeting, Council endorsed the principles of the Open Access movement-promoting and sharing the results of the SSHRC-funded research with the public. Council welcomed the news that the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (CFHSS) has agreed to work with SSHRC to consult with the research community on the best way to implement Open Access and incorporate its principles into the Council's research support programs. The Council also welcomed the involvement of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, which represents a major stakeholder community, in the consultations.
Posted by
Peter Suber at 5/05/2006 09:26:00 AM.
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.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
