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This is an interesting article in the Guardian reporting on Harvard's move against rising prices of journal publications. It calls for Faculty to make their research freely available.

Well worth reading. It also mentioned a model of how publication of the article could be paid for: "Open access comes in various guises, but one model requires authors to pay to have their articles published and made freely available to anyone." In the academic world, research /grant monies would allow authors to build the cost of publishing into their research/grant applications.

Very interesting article. Especially because it relates to Harvard who (alongside with Stanford) is an opinion leader among universities. Other universities watch Harvard (and Stanford) and it is highly likely that these two universities are able to influence the trend.

"The science journal Nature will make its archive of papers, dating back to 1869, free by way of read-only links available to subscribers and major news outlets. Under the new system, planned as a one-year trial, subscribers such as universities and researchers will be able to share a link to a read-only version of a Nature paper with anyone."

This is a great idea - hope to see more follow this model. Ideally, it would be nice to see it open a bit further (to lay persons), but this is a positive move.

This is core notes from a one day seminar in 2012 (http://www.stm-assoc.org/events/academic-and-professional-publishing-in-south-africa/) on academic publishing in South Africa and Africa. in South Africa it would seem that there are many barriers to prevent scholars from producing and publishing their work. Although these barriers are a huge concern, there is a wealth of information being gathered and research being completed. This article is interesting as it shortly summarizes the challenges for academic work to get published in Africa.

Home Visiting Author Reference Sources Reference Sources for Juniors Scholarly articles, e-books, free and paid Free Media Sources: Images, sounds, videosCiting Sources Primary and Secondary Sources Sources of Scientific Information Research Process (HS) Big6 / Super3 (ES & MS) Google Search Tips What else besides Google Web Site Evaluati on

While not exactly on topic, and newspapers are not generally considered Scholarly publishers, they do engage with the public, and frequently act as a liaison between journals/researchers and the public. In the past ten years or so, people have gotten used to accessing, for free, newspapers and television reports as a way to inform themselves. While this is good for the individual, it is not so good for the publisher. Many traditional news outlets have been struggling to find a way to generate revenue in a way that neither smacks of consumerism, nor excludes the average citizen from participating. IN the UK, the liberal-leaning newspaper The Guardian has begun selling 'memberships', and hosting events ranging from lectures to classes on things as diverse as photography and creative writing.

An investigation into the low levels of published African scholarly research by Emerald. Although this study is from 2008, the findings are still valid even in 2014.

Scientific journals are surely important. They provide the most effective means for disseminating and archiving scientific results, and so are a key part of an enterprise on which our health, security, and prosperity ultimately depend. Publications are used by universities, funding agencies, and others as a primary measure of research productivity and impact. They play a decisive role in hiring, promotion, and salary decisions, and in the ranking of departments, institutions, even nations. With big rewards tied to publication, it is not surprising that some people engage in unethical behavior, abuse, and downright fraud.

The video describes how scholarly articles that are available under an open license can be reused on Wikimedia projects, and how readers can be made aware of that reusability.

Yes, video says merits of open access articles on wiki's projects

It's absolutely shameful that so few library and information science journals are open access: if any professional associations have a professional imperative towards improving the scholarly and cultural communication processes, it is librarians and other information professionals. This substantial (but still woefully short) list of open access journals that publish on library and information science will be a great resource for those of us in this course who are aspiring or practicing librarians. As we've heard over and over again throughout this course, advocacy is absolutely essential if open access principles are ever to receive wider acceptance and implementation; that's why it's important that, as practicing information professionals, we use open access publications for our research whenever we can. Lists like this one allow us to streamline our research in ways that align most closely with our professional values, though of course currently there just isn't enough published to allow us to rely exclusively on open access material for our own work. But having lists like this also allows us to determine where our research should be submitted; otherwise, by publishing in paid journals, we are only making things worse. This all being said, most lists like this that I could find online were either outdated and incomplete, part of a larger database that made hyperlinking difficult, or-like this one-they lacked any explanation of what sorts of articles could be found within; even this one hasn't been updated in eighteen months. But as is so often the case with open access, we must take what we can get.

Hi, thank you for sharing the link! I agree with your comments. However, I am very pleased that I found my professional journal on the list :)

Millions of people use research everyday. From students, medical professionals, to curious hobbyists, we all benefit from being able to access, read, and cite reliable, tested information. But getting the research we need can be hard and costly when it's locked up behind expensive paywalls.

Schlitz M, Vieten C, Miller E. Journal of Consciousness Studies. 2010 July-Aug;17(7-8):18-36. "In this paper, we examine how increasing understanding and explicit awareness of social consciousness can develop through transformations in worldview." In order to develop a participatory culture which allows for participation by people from different cultural, educational and political backgrounds to the dominant Western culture in the digital domain, it is argued that Worldview Literacy needs to be cultivated, and tolerance learned for different worldviews. This would facilitate participation by all, and prevent the silencing and exclusion from agency of those from different backgrounds.