Summary of the Open Access Committee’s recommendations

In the present publishing system the public sector pays for over 90% of the expenses¹ in connection with a scientific publication, but the publishing rights are as often as not handed over to commercial publishers. This means that institutions, companies etc. will subsequently have to pay commercial publishers on marketing conditions in order to gain access to the research publications again.

The present restrictive access form of publishing combined with steadily increasing publishing prices is far from optimal in a knowledge and research based world, where researchers in private companies, students and researchers in universities and other educational establishments as well as the ordinary citizen are considerably restricted in their possibilities for getting access to knowledge. Thereby you also lose a vital prerequisite for development and innovation. A conscious Open Access strategy would contribute significantly to the Government’s Globalisation Strategy and Denmark’s aspiration of being a leading knowledge and entrepreneurial society.

The Open Access Committee is of the opinion that as far as possible there should be free access to the results of publicly funded research. Publishing in Open Access should continue to be based on a publishing process with inbuilt quality assurance in the form of peer review, and securing access to Danish research publications and research data in the long term should be high on the agenda. It is furthermore the Committee’s opinion that Open Access must not present a hindrance to results from Danish research being published in the most reputable periodicals.

The Committee has worked out recommendations associated with golden as well as green Open Access². It is the Committee’s assessment that green Open Access is the most negotiable path which is also reflected in the Committee’s recommendations.

Recommendation 1. National Open Access policy is established by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation
The Open Access Committee recommends that a national Open Access policy be formulated which encompasses all institutions that do research and/or disseminate research based on total or partial public funding. The point of departure is that as far as possible there must be free access to the results of publicly funded research.

Recommendation 2. Research councils and foundations establish Open Access policies
The Open Access Committee recommends that all research councils and foundations implement Open Access policies that live up to the national Open Access policy.

Recommendation 3. Universities and other research institutions establish Open Access policies
The Open Access Committee recommends that all universities and research institutions establish Open Access policies that meet with the requirements of the national Open Access policy.

Recommendation 4. The bibliometric research indicator should be coordinated with the national Open Access policy
The Open Access Committee recommends that in connection with evaluation of the bibliometric indicator the Danish Agency for Science, Research and Innovation contemplate how the indicator can be coordinated with national Open Access Policy.

Recommendation 5. Establishment of common Internet access to Danish research results
The Open Access Committee recommends that public research grants demand that all Danish publicly funded research be made available in the universities’ research databases and via a new common Internet portal that disseminates the collective research results with clear indication/crediting of the individual university.

Recommendation 6. Danish scientific publishers prepare discussion paper on transition to Open Access
The Open Access Committee recommends that Danish scientific publishers be invited to prepare suggestions as to how Danish periodicals and Danish monographs can be converted to Open Access.

Recommendation 7. DEFF coordinates the implementation of the recommendations by the Open Access Committee
The Open Access Committee recommends that Denmark’s Electronic Research Library (DEFF) be responsible for the continuing coordination of the Open Access Committee’s work and the implementation of the Open Access Committee’s approved recommendations for a project period of four years. Included in this is also the role as national support for the universities’ local advisers (competence development, knowledge-sharing, international cooperation etc.).

Recommendation 8. Professional implementation of information, debate and dialogue
The Open Access Committee recommends that contracting be carried out with a media and communication agency to plan how the public can be involved in the debate, including the daily press, events etc.

Recommendation 9. Coordination of the Danish Open Access initiative in international fora
The Open Access Committee recommends that the research councils’ Danish representatives in international research fora such as EUROHORC’s and European Science Foundation secure coordination of Open Access policies between the councils.

Recommendation 10. Increased focus on Open Access in DEFF consortia licenses
The Open Access Committee recommends that in DEFF’s work with licenses and in international partnerships, in which DEFF takes part, focus be directed at negotiation of writers’ royalties in connection with e.g. golden Open Access, freedom to green Open Access, deduction for publication fees and transparent business models for Open Access publishing at a fee. It is moreover recommended that DEFF commit to working actively within this area and try to negotiate agreements on Open Access publishing at national level.

Recommendation 11. Danish membership of Confederation of Open Access Repositories
The Open Access Committee recommends that after the cessation of DRIVER international cooperation continue to be supported through membership of Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR).

Recommendation 12. Establishment of a comprehensive long-term preservation service for the universities’ publications
The Open Access Committee recommends that in connection with the common portal for the universities’ research results (recommendation 5) a long-term preservation service be established which ensures that the universities’ digital publications can be read and used over a long period of time.

Recommendation 13. National planning of free access to as well as long-term preservation of primary research data
The Open Access Committee recommends that a cross-disciplinary cooperation organisation be established which gathers together stakeholders within the field of primary research data. This organisation will plan how Danish research data can be archived in order that present and future access be secured. In the planning the economic consequences must be accounted for.

Recommendation 14. Danish membership of central international cooperation fora for handling and long-term preservation of scientific information in the broader sense
The Open Access Committee recommends Danish membership of and active participation in the two important international cooperation fora within the area, The Alliance for Permanent Access and DataCite. Hereby Danish exploitation of the global experiences and solutions will be secured as well as Danish influence on these.