Can software fix academic publishing?
No. Of course software can’t fix academic publishing.
In fact, in my analysis of what’s holding back the move to Open Access, one thing became abundantly clear to me: it’s all about the researchers. Libraries can’t cancel subscriptions because they have to serve researchers. Funders can only try to leverage their funds to influence researchers’ choice of publisher. Publishers can and will keep doing what they do as long as the researchers let them. And evaluation committees don’t give researchers another choice than to let them.
In other words, researchers hold the keys to change, and any efforts aimed to make Open Access happen aims to get them to use those keys.
So no: software, too, is not going to make Open Access happen. Only academics can do that. And they are doing that. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that there are many, many researcher-initiated initiatives, and many researchers passionate about Open Access.
That does not mean, however, that they could not use help. Software did not speed up the spread of ideas —it was people, putting software to good use. Likewise, software is not going to make Open Access happen, but it can help those who are.
So that’s the void I’d like to fill. There’s been multiple calls for new infrastructure, and several organisations are working on their own tools, so there is a role for software to play. And that’s why I took on this challenge. I want to contribute, but I’m a lousy researcher — I’d link to my master’s thesis, but I’m too ashamed of it. Software, however, I can do.
But you’re right: it’s only an enabler, and I’m under no illusion that I can just barge in, write some code, and solve the problem with algorithms. In fact, that is the entire reason why I’m reading so much, why I’ve made my first forays into Twitter, and why I’m here, writing these far too lengthy responses on a Saturday morning: because I want to reach out to those in the trenches, to those who are doing the actual work, to you. I want to learn from you, find out what you need, and what I can provide.
And it’s also the reason I’m very glad with your comment, because it highlights what reservations you have, and what I thus need to address.
So keep it coming. Leave a response, send me an email or a Tweet, sign up for the newsletter, or whatever floats your boat. I know I’m an outsider, and that there’s plenty reason to be sceptical. But it is my belief that if I keep listening, and you keep telling me what you think, that I can be of help.
I’m finding out how best to open up access to scientific articles. Sign up for the mailinglist or follow Flockademic on Twitter to join me on the journey.
