The quality of scientific evidence in government heavily depends upon the independent assessment of research. Pressure from those commissioning the research may pose a threat to scientific integrity and rigorous policy-making. Edward Page reports that whilst there is strong evidence of government leaning, … Continue reading →
Category: Government
Exploratory analysis of researcher behaviour challenges the assumption that STEM subjects are more societally useful than SSH.
Using a database with information on over 1,500 researchers, statistical analysis was recently undertaken to test the hypothesis that technical STEM subjects were more societally useful than social science and humanities (SSH) subjects. Paul Benneworth describes the research process and … Continue reading →
Open access initiatives in the Global South affirm the lasting value of a shared scholarly communications system.
Developing countries stand to benefit greatly from a more open and equitable international scholarly communication system, but Dominique Babini argues new commercial enclosures to access are also emerging. The international community would do well to follow the examples of initiatives in Latin America, … Continue reading →
Open access legislation in the US and Canada looks to prioritise post-publication archiving, not publishers’ profits.
Providing further context on open access policy, Heather Morrison presents cases from the U.S. and Canada, where each are also grappling with how to provide wider access to publicly funded research. If passed, the U.S.’s FASTR Act would require ‘green’ … Continue reading →
As the European Commission paves the way for open access, a consistent policy environment is needed across the EU.
The European Commission has extended and solidified its open access policy for the upcoming Horizon 2020 research funding programme. Alma Swan welcomes the clear signal from Brussels which has issued a Recommendation for Member States to follow its lead. But … Continue reading →