UK Gov’t Supports Open Access Plan

The UK government releases its recommendation that open access be “the main vehicle for the publication of research,” though it warns of the costs that could entail.

Jef Akst

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Early last month, the United Kingdom’s Science Minister David Willets announced a plan to switch scientific publishing in the country to an entirely open access model. Now, the government has issued a report agreeing that open access journals should be “the main vehicle for the publication of research,” though the change could cost $80–90 million per year in publication charges and other costs, ScienceInsider reported.

“This comprehensive report will make a vital contribution to the development of policy on open access, which we will be setting out in the near future,” Willetts said in a statement.

Though the report was just released today (June 19), it has already drawn mixed reviews from the community. While many welcomed the report’s support of the open access movement, ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef Akst was managing editor of The Scientist, where she started as an intern in 2009 after receiving a master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses.
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