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KNOWLEDGE ACCESS
A part of the research program on
Information Technologies and the Information Economy, focuses
knowledge access and the economic and social impacts of access to
knowledge. This work explores the economic implications of
alternative scholarly publication and distribution business models
and the impacts of those models on the economy and society. Major
foci include Open Access models for scientific and scholarly
publishing, the curation and open sharing of research data, and the
costs and benefits of making public sector information (PSI) more
openly and freely available. Each of the projects undertaken
contributes to our understanding of the implications of alternative
information publishing and dissemination models.
Research Communication Costs, Emerging Opportunities and Benefits (2006)
A project funded by the Australian Department of
Education, Science and Training (DEST) and conducted by John Houghton, Peter
Sheehan and Colin Steele. Released in September 2006, the report explores
the costs involved in research communication activities and some of the
potential benefits available through emerging, more open models for
scholarly communication.
Report:
Houghton, J.W., Steele, C. and Sheehan, P. 2006. Research Communication
Costs in Australia, Emerging Opportunities and Benefits, Report to
Department of Education, Science and Training, Canberra (September 2006).
https://digitalcollections.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/44485
Economic Implications of Alternative Scholarly
Publishing Models in the UK (2008-09)
A project funded by the UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC)
and conducted by The Centre for Strategic Economic Studies at
Victoria University and The Departments of Information Science,
Economics and LISU at Loughborough University. The Victoria
University team included John Houghton, Bruce Rasmussen and Peter
Sheehan of The Centre for Strategic Economic Studies in Melbourne,
together with Colin Steele, Emeritus Fellow at The Australian
National University in Canberra; and the Loughborough University
team included Charles Oppenheim and Anne Morris of the Department of
Information Science, Claire Creaser, Helen Greenwood and Mark
Summers of LISU, and Adrian Gourlay of the Department of Economics.
The team benefited from the very generous contributions of Bo-Christer
Björk of the Hanken School of Economics in Helsinki, and Donald King
of the University of North Carolina.
Report:
Houghton, J.W., Rasmussen, B., Sheehan, P.J., Oppenheim, C.,
Morris, A., Creaser, C., Greenwood, H., Summers, M. and Gourlay, A. 2009,
Economic Implications of Alternative Scholarly Publishing Models: Exploring
the Costs and Benefits, Report to The Joint Information Systems
Committee (JISC) by Victoria University & Loughborough University.
http://ie-repository.jisc.ac.uk/278/4/EI-ASPM_Summary.pdf
http://ie-repository.jisc.ac.uk/278/3/EI-ASPM_Report.pdf
Scholarly Communication Process Model:
The scholarly communication process model underlying the
identification of the activities and costs involved throughout the Scholarly
Communication Life-Cycle.
http://www.cfses.com/EI-ASPM/SCLCM-V7/
Online Model:
An online model which makes a small subset of the EI-ASPM Project
cost-benefit modelling available to those interested in further exploring
results and wanting to explore national, sectoral or institutional costs and
benefits. It runs as an executable application within MS Excel, by simply
clicking on the file after downloading. Each of the model elements is
presented as a single screen worksheet. Copies of the model can be saved
locally to record results and each of the worksheet models can be printed as
a single page. Simply enter your preferred values into the Variables column
of the Parameters Table and the results will be recalculated automatically.
You can TAB between the active cells.
http://www.cfses.com/EI-ASPM/JISC EI-ASPM Model (Version 5.0).exe
Addendum:
We released this addendum in response to comments received
following the publication of the JISC EI-ASPM Report. Its purpose is to
further clarify the results of the modelling undertaken, particularly in
respect to the impacts for the UK nationally and for UK higher education of:
(i) unilateral national versus worldwide adoption of alternative open access
models, and (ii) 'Green OA' self-archiving in parallel with subscription
publishing versus the 'deconstructed or overlay journals model' of
self-archiving with overlay production and review services.
http://www.cfses.com/EI-ASPM/JISC%20EI-ASPM%20Report%20%28Addendum%20April%2009%29.pdf
Reaction to the JISC report:
Professor Ian Diamond, RCUK, “RCUK welcomes this substantial and interesting
report. It will be of great use to the Research Councils as we develop our
future policies in relation to publishing and in particular Open Access.”
Professor Sir Tim O’Shea, “The argument for moving from more traditional
subscription or toll-based publishing to a model that allows for greater
accessibility and makes full use of the advances in technology cannot be
ignored. This report shows there are significant savings to be made and
benefits to be had. JISC will work with publishers, authors and the science
community to identify and help to remove the barriers to moving to these
more cost-effective models.”
Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust, “As a research funder that
provides additional funds to its grant holders to meet the cost of Open
Access publishing, I am delighted that this report vindicates this approach
and shows that the benefits of enhanced accessibility outweigh the costs of
supplementing research funds with ‘author-pays’ Open Access publishing
fees.”
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2009/01/houghton.aspx
Podcast from JISC (Aug 2008):
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/stories/2008/08/podcast55johnhoughton.aspx
JISC Anthology on Open Access:
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/programmerelated/2010/openaccessmainbrochure.aspx
Identifying benefits arising from the curation and open sharing of
research data produced by UK Higher Education and research institutes
(2008)
A project funded by the UK Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and
conducted by Loughborough University in collaboration with the Centre for
Strategic Economic Studies at Victoria University, which sought to: identify
the benefits of curating and sharing research data; identify a methodology
by which to estimate the benefits to UK Higher Education and the UK more
generally of curating and openly sharing research data produced by
researchers in UK HE; use the methodology, as far as possible, to derive an
estimate, expressed in financial terms where possible, for the identified
benefits; and document case studies and examples of data re use, where that
re use led to tangible benefits.
Report:
Fry, J., Lockyer, S., Oppenheim, C., Houghton, J.W. and Rasmussen, B. 2008,
Identifying Benefits Arising from the Curation and Open Sharing of
Research Data Produced by UK Higher Education and Research Institutes, JISC, Bristol
and London.
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/programmes/digitalrepositories2007/databenefits.aspx
Costs and Benefits of Research Communication in The Netherlands
(2009)
A project funded by the Netherland's SURF foundation
and conducted by the Centre for Strategic Economic Studies at Victoria
University and EIM Business & Policy Research in the Netherlands. The team
included John Houghton of The Centre for Strategic Economic Studies in
Melbourne, together with Jos de Jonge and Marcia van Oploo of EIM.
Report:
Houghton, J.W., de Jonge, J. and van Oploo, M. (2009) Costs and Benefits of
Research Communication: The Dutch Situation, SURFfoundation, Utrecht.
http://www.surffoundation.nl/en/publicaties/Pages/CostsandBenefitsofOpenAccessPublicationlTheDutchSituation.aspx
Online model for The Netherlands:
An online model which makes a small subset of the cost-benefit modelling
available to those interested in further exploring results and wanting to
explore national, sectoral or institutional costs and benefits. It runs as
an executable application within MS Excel, by simply clicking on the file
after downloading. Each of the model elements is presented as a single
screen worksheet. Copies of the model can be saved locally to record results
and each of the worksheet models can be printed as a single page. Simply
enter your preferred values into the Variables column of the Parameters
Table and the results will be recalculated automatically. You can TAB
between the active cells.
http://www.cfses.com/EI-ASPM/NL EI-ASPM Model.exe
Launch of the report in Den Haag (June 2009):
http://www.surffoundation.nl/wiki/display/economicstudyOA/Home
Costs and Benefits of Alternative Publishing Models in Denmark (2009)
A project funded by the Danish Electronic Research Library (DEFF) and
conducted by The Centre for Strategic Economic Studies at Victoria
University by John Houghton, which examines the implications of alternative
scholarly publishing models in Denmark.Report:
Houghton, J.W. 2009, Costs and Benefits of Alternative Publishing Models:
Denmark, DEFF, Copenhagen.
http://www.knowledge-exchange.info/Admin/Public/DWSDownload.aspx?File=/Files/Filer/downloads/DK_Costs_and_benefits_of_alternative_publishing_models.pdf
A three country
comparison (United Kingdom, Netherlands and Denmark)
(2009)
A project funded by the European Knowledge
Exchange and conducted by The Centre for Strategic Economic Studies at
Victoria University by John Houghton, which aims to examine the cost-benefit
implications of alternative scholarly publishing models in one of the
larger, a mid-sized and a smaller European country.
Report:
http://knowledge-exchange.info/Admin/Public/DWSDownload.aspx?File=/Files/Filer/downloads/OA_What_are_the_economic_benefits_-_a_comparison_of_UK-NL-DK__FINAL_logos.pdf
Workshop held in Brussels (June 2009):
http://knowledge-exchange.info/Default.aspx?ID=316
Impacts of the United States' Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA)
(2010)
A project funded by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources
Coalition (SPARC) and conducted by The Centre for Strategic Economic Studies
at Victoria University by John Houghton, Bruce Rasmussen and Peter Sheehan,
which seeks to outline one possible approach to estimating the potential
return on investment implications of the proposed US Federal Research Public
Access ACT (FRPAA).Press release from SPARC:
http://www.arl.org/sparc/media/10-0804.shtml
Report (August 2010):
http://www.arl.org/sparc/publications/papers/vuFRPAA/index.shtml
Online model:
http:/www.cfses.com/EI-ASPM/US Federal R&D Open Archiving RoI Model.exe
Access to Research and Technical Information in Denmark (2010-11)
A project funded by The Danish Agency for Science, Technology and Innovation
(FI) and Denmark’s Electronic Research Library (DEFF) exploring levels of,
and barriers to, access to research for small high-technology firms in
Denmark and estimating the costs and impacts of access. By John Houghton,
Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, Victoria University and Alma Swan and
Sheridan Brown, Key Perspectives Limited.Report:
Houghton, J.W., Swan, A.
and Brown, S. 2011, Access to Research and Technical Information in Denmark,
Report to The Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (FI) and
Denmark's Electronic Research Library (DEFF), Copenhagen.
http://www.fi.dk/publikationer/2011/adgang-til-forskningsresultater-og-teknisk-information-i-danmark
Economic Implications of New Models for Information Supply for Science
and Research in Germany
(2009-11)
A project funded by the German Research Council (Deutsche Forschungs
Gemeinschaft) and led by the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am
Main. This project brings the German National Licensing Program (NLP) into
the mix of alternative publishing and dissemination models and explores its
impacts on the acceptance of Open Access Strategies.
Symposium:
Economy and Acceptance of Open Access Strategies
http://www.book-fair.com/en/fbf/book_fair_live/topics/libraries/symposium/
Costs and Benefits of Data Provision (2011)
A project funded by the Australian National Data
Services (ANDS) presenting case studies exploring the costs and benefits
that Public Sector Information (PSI) producing agencies and their users
experience in making information freely available, and preliminary estimates
of the wider economic impacts of open access to PSI. The report outlines a
possibly method for cost-benefit analysis at the agency level and explores
the data requirements for such an analysis. What the study demonstrates is
that the direct and measurable benefits of making PSI available freely and
without restrictions on use typically outweigh the costs. When one adds the
longer-term benefits that we cannot fully measure, and may not even foresee,
the case for open access appears to be strong.
Press Release from ANDS:
http://ands.org.au/resource/cost-benefit.html
Report:
Houghton, J.W. (2011) Costs and Benefits of Data Provision,
Australian National Data Service, Canberra.
http://ands.org.au/resource/houghton-cost-benefit-study.pdf
Economic Evaluation of Research Data Infrastructure (2011-12)
A study for the Economic and Social Research Council in the UK, conducted
jointly by Charles Beagrie Ltd with John Houghton of the Centre for
Strategic Economic Studies at Victoria University, looking at the economic
impact of the Economic and Social Data Service (ESDS) in the UK. Such
studies on the impact of research data services are rare and we had the
opportunity to test some rather experimental approaches. The study will be
completed in January 2012.
Blog report:
http://blog.beagrie.com/2011/11/10/new-projects-for-2011-2013/
Institutional cost models
Institutional versions of the EI-ASPM models have been created to enable
people at universities and research institutions to explore the impacts of
alternative scholarly publishing models for their own institutions. They
should be treated as no more than an approximate guide.
UK Institutional model in British Pounds:
http://www.cfses.com/EI-ASPM/Institutional EI-ASPM Cost Model (UK).exe
US Institutional model in US Dollars:
http://www.cfses.com/EI-ASPM/Institutional EI-ASPM Cost Model (USA).exe
Videos (presentations and interviews)
Presentation at The Annual Munin Conference, University of Tromso (Norway):
http://webtv.uit.no/mediasite/Viewer/?peid=f8e1ed5880824f40804a84759774b2a0
Interview with Eloy Rodrigues, Alma Swan and Heather Joseph, Beijing
(China):
http://vimeo.com/17540515
Contact
John Houghton
Centre for Strategic Economic Studies, Victoria University
E-mail: john.houghton@pobox.com
Web: www.cfses.com
Compiled by John Houghton (December 2011)
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