Mastersthesis,
The case for open access publishing, with special reference to open access journals and their prospects in South Africa
(2006)
Abstract
Open access publishing is an initiative that aims to provide universal, unrestricted free access to full-text scholarly materials via the Internet. This presents a radically different approach to the dissemination of research articles that has traditionally been controlled by the publishing enterprise that regulates access by means of subscriptions and licences fees levied on users, predominantly academic libraries. In presenting the case for open access publishing, the thesis explores the contemporary research environment, changing modes of knowledge production, the problems associated with the existing academic journal system, and the subsequent growth of the open access movement as an intervention to reclaim scientific communication. It highlights the ways in which open access better answers the requirements of researchers, funders, governments, and society more broadly. Free access to publicly funded scientific research is more democratic and is necessary for knowledge dissemination and production in a knowledge economy, particularly for developing countries such as South Africa. Attention is drawn to the ways that open access intersects with the ethical norms guiding the practice of research, with the idea of information as a public good, and with other parallel initiatives that resist the enclosure of knowledge through excessive copyright legislation.
