Open Access

Martin Paul Eve considers how OA might influence quality control

July 4, 2013 1515

Open Access (OA) is not about abandoning peer review but it does provide the opportunity to rethink its role and our methods, according to Martin Paul Eve, writing in Debating Open Access, a new publication from the British Academy. 67% of existing OA journals do not charge APCs and yet academics have tended to steer clear of them. People opt for recognised outlets because of the (erroneously) perceived emphasis on publication venue by accreditation structures such as RAE/REF/tenure.

In the print world peer review was historically linked to page limits; these do not apply in the electronic realm. Double blind review is a misnomer and even then preserved anonymity can be problematic. The alternative is to publish everything that meets a certain threshold of academic soundness and to let readers decide what should last; in effect a kind of post-publication, or peer-to-peer review.

This modification of peer review could lead to more collaboration and less insistence on an individual finished product.

Read the article in full

Dr Martin Paul Eve is a lecturer in English literature at the University of Lincoln with a research specialism in late-twentieth- and twenty-first-century American fiction. Martin has also spoken and written widely on issues surrounding open access for Insights journal, The Guardian, the LSE Impact Blog, a forthcoming book chapter with Intellect Press and many others, as well as being called to make an appearance before the 2013 House of Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee inquiry into Open Access. In addition to his literary research work and teaching, Martin is a Microsoft Certified Professional in C# and the .NET Framework, edits two peer reviewed open access journals and founded the Open Library of the Humanities, a practical intervention to introduce prestigious APC free open access publishing across the Humanities.

Read more about Debating Open Access, a collection of a series of 8 reflecting on the challenges and opportunities for humanities and social sciences open access publishing practices.

The British Academy is the UK’s national body which champions and supports the humanities and social sciences. It is an independent, self-governing fellowship of scholars, elected for their distinction in research and publication. Our purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.

View all posts by British Academy

Related Articles

All Change! 2024 – A Year of Elections: Campaign for Social Science Annual Sage Lecture
Event
October 10, 2024

All Change! 2024 – A Year of Elections: Campaign for Social Science Annual Sage Lecture

Read Now
‘Settler Colonialism’ and the Promised Land
International Debate
September 27, 2024

‘Settler Colonialism’ and the Promised Land

Read Now
Daron Acemoglu on Artificial Intelligence
Social Science Bites
September 3, 2024

Daron Acemoglu on Artificial Intelligence

Read Now
Crafting the Best DEI Policies: Include Everyone and Include Evidence
Public Policy
August 30, 2024

Crafting the Best DEI Policies: Include Everyone and Include Evidence

Read Now
The Public’s Statistics Should Serve, Well, the Public

The Public’s Statistics Should Serve, Well, the Public

Paul Allin sets out why the UK’s Royal Statistical Society is launching a new campaign for public statistics.

Read Now
Why, and How, We Must Contest ‘Development’

Why, and How, We Must Contest ‘Development’

Why is contestation a better starting point for studying and researching development than ‘everyone wants the same thing’?

Read Now
New SSRC Project Aims to Develop AI Principles for Private Sector

New SSRC Project Aims to Develop AI Principles for Private Sector

The new AI Disclosures Project seeks to create structures that both recognize the commercial enticements of AI while ensuring that issues of safety and equity are front and center in the decisions private actors make about AI deployment.

Read Now
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

1 Comment
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments