Julian Jones: Open policy on research needs sufficient funds to work

Published on 18/07/2012 00:00

ANYTHING which raises awareness of the tremendous research undertaken in UK universities and helps the results to contribute to society and the economy must be a good thing.

Therefore, I believe the government’s intention to remove barriers to accessing research findings will be well received.

Scotland has a world-renowned legacy in scientific research and endeavour, being typically responsible for more than 1 per cent of the world’s research publications and nearly 2 per cent of citations.

Information has never been so readily available, but where scientific research is concerned, the need is to ensure that information which could contribute to vital areas of human endeavour is accurate and based on sound methodology.

The time-honoured way of distinguishing between valid and inaccurate scientific data is peer review, so fundamental to maintaining standards that the academic community gives its time and expertise, without charge, to review papers before publication.

Costs do arise, however, in organising this, traditionally for publishers who recoup costs and profit by charging for access to their journals.

So if not the publishers, and thus readers or libraries, then who should pay? There are two options: one allows anyone to publish and anyone else then to comment, a bit like Wikipedia. This is best for a specialised readership, able to appreciate the arguments.

The second option requires peer review before publication, as now, but with the authors paying for the process, with the finished product free to read.

This would provide great opportunities for the promotion of UK scientific research and discovery, provided it pays attention to those devilish details: will research funding increase to cover these costs without taking resources from research itself? Will arrangements be flexible enough for transition to the new system? And what will be the implications for journals published by learned societies and institutions which, unlike their commercial cousins, feed profits back into academic communities?

If the system is sound, and financial provision sufficient, the benefits could be great.

• Professor Julian Jones is vice-principal of Heriot-Watt University.