Open Access Week seeks to challenge myths around open access publishing

What is open access and why does it matter?

Open access is the free, immediate, online availability of research outputs coupled with the rights to use these materials with little or no restrictions in a digital environment.

If you’re curious about the reality of open access publishing, don’t miss this online workshop:

Fear of the Unknown: What REALLY happens when you make your work open?
Oct 24 | 12:30pm
ONLINE

Open access is deeply relevant to members of the UCalgary community. Students benefit when scholarly material is made available as open access material. Faculty and researchers benefit when their work can be disseminated widely to people who need it most.

Still, myths about open access publishing persist:

Myth 1. Publishing my research open access does not benefit me.
Fact. Publishing open access increases the visibility and dissemination of your work, which leads to greater public engagement, accessibility, more downloads and citations. 

Myth 2. If I publish my research open access, I don’t maintain the rights to my work.
Fact. Publishing open access actually allows you to maintain the copyright of your work with the use of Creative Commons Licensing, unlike traditionally published journals. Always read your author agreement to understand your rights!

Myth 3. I already published my research so it can’t be made open access.
Fact. Most journals will allow you to submit the unedited version of your work, called a “pre-print” to an institutional repository. PRISM is the University of Calgary's repository, and it can be used to collect, preserve, and disseminate your research by making it open access.  

Myth 4. I can’t afford to publish in open access journals.
Fact. The University of Calgary has agreements with certain publishers to provide discounts or even waived open access publishing fees. Learn more. 

Myth 5.  Open access journals are poorer quality than traditional journals.
Fact. Open access journals can still be vigorously peer-reviewed and meet scholarly standards. The DOAJ for example is an index with over 20,000 verified open access journals, with strict criteria on the quality of journals they accept.  

UCalgary Library supports Open Access and Open Scholarship through a variety of services and platforms including repositories for research materials and research data and a journal hosting service. It also supports an open access publisher - the UCalgary Press. 

Recent titles include:

Doing Democracy Differently: Indigenous Rights and Representation in Canada and Latin America
Protest and Partnership: Case Studies of Indigenous Peoples, Consultation and Engagement, and Resource Development in Canada
The Canadian Mountain Assessment: Walking together to enhance understanding of  mountains in Canada

In addition to its website, the Press shares open access publications through Manifold and OApen.

Services:

• PRISM, UCalgary’s Institutional Repository
  • A digital archive of the university's intellectual output. Established and maintained to manage, preserve and make available the academic works of faculty, students and research groups. The collection includes faculty publications, master’s and doctoral theses, and research output from Southern Alberta.
  • PRISM increases research impact and ensures discoverability. It’s FREE, it can meet your grant requirements, it’s accessible.
• PRISM Data, UCalgary’s Data Repository
  • A data repository hosted through Borealis, the Canadian Dataverse Repository. PRISM Data enables scholars to easily deposit data, create data-specific metadata for searchability and publish their datasets.
  • PRISM Data enables researchers to meet funding requirements, store many types of data, increase research impact and dissemination, preserve data in a stable environments, and track data usage.
• Open Journal Services, UCalgary’s Journal Hosting platform
  • Open Journal Services (OJS) provides web hosting for journals. This service is open to any open access peer-reviewed journal whose editor(s)-in-chief is affiliated with a Canadian post-secondary institution. 
  • Open access publishing makes it possible for more scholars, policy makers, practitioners, clinicians, and the general public to be able to view, cite, and share your work. An open access journal is a great way to connect with the UCalgary community of researchers and fill a niche within the field, while also gaining editorial and publishing experience.
• Article Processing Charges Discounts 
  • Publish open access without breaking the bank! Through library licensing agreements with certain publishers, APC discounts are available to UCalgary authors interested in submitting to their open access journals. Discounts range from 10% to 100%, depending on the deal and the publisher.

Other UCalgary Resources

Open Science promotes collaboration, transparency, accessibility and inclusivity in research inputs, processes and outputs. It includes all disciplines and aspects of scholarly practices, including basic and applied sciences, natural and social sciences and the humanities.