Right to Research Coalition - Blog

White House issues landmark Directive making publicly funded research freely available to students, rest of public

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 18:44:40 UT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 22, 2013

Contact: Nick Shockey
202-296-2296
nick@arl.org

WHITE HOUSE ISSUES LANDMARK DIRECTIVE MAKING PUBLICLY FUNDED RESEARCH FREELY AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS, REST OF PUBLIC

Washington, D.C. – The Right to Research Coalition (R2RC) today applauds President Obama and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for issuing a landmark Directive to ensure the results of all publicly funded research are made freely available to the public to read and reuse.

“Generations of students will benefit from today’s Directive,” said Nick Shockey, Director of the Right to Research Coalition. “For too long, students have been locked out of large portions of the published research literature – research they and their families already paid for through tax dollars – due to outrageously high subscription prices. Research articles are essential to a complete, up-to-date education, and this Directive ensures far more students will have access to the cutting-edge training necessary to succeed in a modern economy.”

Every year, the federal government uses taxpayer dollars to fund tens of billions of dollars of scientific research that results in thousands upon thousands of articles published in scientific journals. The government funds this research with the understanding that it will advance science, spur the economy, accelerate innovation, and improve the lives of our citizens. Yet most taxpayers – including students, academics, and patients – are shut out of accessing and using the results of the research that their tax dollars fund, because it is only available through expensive and often hard-to-access scientific journals.

“Students aren’t just consumers of research. They’re powerful producers. One only need look to Jack Andraka, the 16-year-old Maryland high school student who invented a breakthrough diagnostic for pancreatic cancer based on articles he found freely available online, to see how the Directive will empower students to contribute even more to world-changing research,” said Shockey.

The White House Directive affirms the principle that the public has a right to access the results of taxpayer-funded research and calls on all federal agencies with annual research and development budgets of $100 million or more to provide free and timely online access to the results of that research. Articles reporting on the results of publicly funded scientific research must be made available no later than 12 months after publication in a scientific journal.

Additional details about the Directive can be found here.

To follow the conversation on Twitter use the hashtags #openaccess or #OA. Media questions can be directed to @R2RC or nick@arl.org.

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About the Right to Research Coalition

The Right to Research Coalition is an international alliance of 62 student organizations, which collectively represent nearly 7 million students around the world, that work to make the results of research openly available through education and advocacy. The Right to Research Coalition is an initiative of the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).

More information can be found at www.righttoresearch.org.

Call to Action: Support the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR)

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 20:19:54 UT

On February 14, 2013, Senators Cornyn (R-TX) and Wyden (D-OR) and Representatives Doyle (D-PA), Yoder (R-KS), and Lofgren (D-CA) introduced FASTR, the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act, a bill that will accelerate scientific discovery and fuel innovation by making articles reporting on publicly funded scientific research freely accessible online for anyone to read and build upon.

FASTR will improve the education of students at all levels of American higher education, from community colleges to graduate programs, by providing resources necessary for a complete, up-to-date understanding of their chosen field.

Even at the wealthiest institutions, students and the instructors who teach them are too often locked out of the scientific literature, because their institutions can’t afford access. Some journals cost more than $5,000 or even $25,000 to rent access for a single year, even though much of the research they contain is publicly funded.

FASTR breaks down these paywalls by requiring that all articles resulting from publicly funded research be made freely available to the public who paid for them within six months of publication. The US government’s annual investment of $60 billion represents a large portion of all research published in the US each year. FASTR will maximize the return on this investment by making articles reporting on cutting-edge research available for students – and anyone else – to read and build upon.

Last but not least, FASTR address reuse rights necessary to ensure that researchers have the ability to use powerful new computational text and data analysis tools that have the potential to revolutionize the research process.

Act Now | Background | Talking Points | Resources

Act now!

Let Congress know you support FASTR

Write your legislators, via the Right to Research Action Center
A letter of support is the best way to influence your legislators, and with our customizable templates, it only takes a few minutes!

[NOTE: the above link will take you to the Alliance for Taxpayer Access site, which hosts the Right to Research Coalition's legislative action center]
Thank FASTR's introducing co-sponsors on social media
Even if you're not in their districts, it's important to thank FASTR's introducing sponsors to let them know there is a large community of support behind the bill.
Visit your legislators' local offices
Taking the time for an in-person visit to the office of one of your legislators is an especially effective was to demonstrate your support, particularly if you can organize a group of students from your campus or your student organization to join you.

Raise awareness of and build support for FASTR

Tweet about FASTR using the hashtag #FASTR, and post a link to our call to action on Facebook!
Tell your friends and professors about FASTR, encourage them to contact their legislators as well.
Write a letter to the editor or op-ed for your campus or local newspaper, or blog about FASTR.
Add a "Support FASTR" banner to your or your organization's website. You can find the banner in a variety of formats here.

Background

Now before both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR) would require those agencies with annual extramural research budgets of $100 million or more to provide the public with online access to research manuscripts stemming from such funding no later than six months after publication in a peer-reviewed journal and enable productive their reuse.

This bill would revolutionize students' access to the tools necessary for a complete, up-to-date education. Even at well funded universities, students - and those who teach them - often cannot get access to significant portions of the scholarly record due to prohibitive price barriers. The vast collection of articles FASTR would make freely available - representing a significant portion of all researched published in the United States - would provide students with an unprecedented educational resource and level the playing field for those at less wealthy institutions.

The bill specifically covers unclassified research funded by 11 agencies including: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation.

FASTR reflects the growing trend among funding agencies – and college and university campuses – to leverage their investment in the conduct of research by maximizing the dissemination and reuse of results. It follows the successful path forged by the NIH’s Public Access Policy, as well as by private funders like the Wellcome Trust and campuses such as Harvard, MIT, and the University of Kansas.

Talking Points

Thank the sponsors for introducing FASTR and ask your Representative and Senators to consider co-sponsoring FASTR.
The bipartisan bill, which was introduced in the Senate by Senators Cornyn (R-TX) and Wyden (D-OR) and in the House by Representatives Doyle (D-PA), Yoder (R-KS), and Lofgren (D-CA) will accelerate scientific discovery and fuel innovation by making articles reporting on publicly funded scientific research freely accessible online for anyone to read and build upon.
Because of often-high subscription prices and shrinking library budgets, students routinely run into barriers accessing research articles - especially those at less wealthy institutions. The bill will significantly expand the access that students - and those who teach them - have to the up-to-date research that forms the building blocks of our education, from the core to the cutting edge.
By improving undergraduate and graduate education, FASTR will benefit students when it comes to putting their educations to use after graduation. Students will be better able to hit the ground running in their careers and contribute immediately in both the public and private sectors.
America's future economic competitiveness will rely on workers with an advanced education in fields like biotechnology and clean energy that depend on unfettered access to the research literature.
FASTR ensures these articles are available in formats and under terms that enable the use of new computational analysis tools that promise to revolutionize the research process.
Widespread access to the information contained in these manuscripts is an essential, inseparable component of our nation's investment in science. This and other scientific information should be shared in cost-effective ways that take advantage of the Internet, stimulate further discovery and innovation, and advance the translation of this knowledge into public benefits.
Open online access to research will ensure maximum discovery, use and re-use of available research – making possible an unprecedented variety of potential connections and discoveries, and improve the lives and welfare of people in the U.S. and around the world.
[Detail why public access to research is important to you or your organization.]

Resources

Open Access Explored! A conversation with Jorge Cham of PhD Comics, live from UC San Francisco

Sat, 22 Dec 2012 02:40:04 UT

2012 was a milestone year in the transition of Open Access into a mainstream issue, within both academia and the public at large. Conversations about the future of academic publishing filled pages from the Economist to the New York Times and even reached YouTube, where PhD Comics’ video, “Open Access Explained!” saw over 100,000 views in its first few weeks.

“Open Access Explained!” has been shared thousands of times and sparked countless conversations as an introduction to the issue; however, it is just a starting point.

Join us online or in person on Thursday, January 17th at 12:00pm PST (3:00pm EST) at the University of California, San Francisco’s Pottruck Auditorium for a conversation with Jorge Cham, the animator behind PhD Comics. Jorge, who started PhD Comics while completing his PhD at Stanford, will discuss his evolving view of Open Access, how it changed while making “Open Access Explained!”, and explore lingering questions with Heather Joseph, Executive Director of SPARC, and Jonathan Eisen, an evolutionary biologist at UC Davis and chair of the PLOS Biology Advisory Board.

Open Access Explored is presented by the Right to Research Coalition, and co-sponsored by SPARC, PLOS, and the University of California, San Francisco Library.

Registration for both the webcast and in-person event is free but required.

► Click here to register for the webcast of Open Access Explored! After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. Details on how to login to the webcast will be sent to you 3 days prior to the event.

► Click here to join us in person at UCSF's Pottruck Auditorium. Space is limited, so please be sure you can attend before registering. A light lunch will be served during the event. Pottruck Auditorium is located within Rock Hall on UCSF's Mission Bay campus at 1550 4th St, San Francisco, CA 94158.

About our speakers:

Jorge Cham is the animator behind PhD Comics. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and was a full-time Instructor and researcher at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) from 2003-2005. "Piled Higher and Deeper" the comic strip has appeared in The Stanford Daily, MIT, Carnegie Mellon University and Caltech newspapers among over 50 others. The strip has appeared or been featured in the journal Nature, Science Magazine the Chronicle of Higher Education, IEEE Potentials magazine, Math Horizons magazine, Stanford Magazine and Canada's The Peer Review magazine among others, and has been linked to by USA Today's, The NY Times and The Washington Post's websites.

Heather Joseph serves as the Executive Director of the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), an international coalition of over 800 libraries working to enable a more open system of scholarly communication. As SPARC’s Director, she has focused on supporting the development of new publishing strategies and business models, and advocating for national and international policies that encourage the adoption of Open Access as a central principle of research and scholarship. Prior to joining SPARC, she spent 15 years as a publishing executive in both commercial and not-for-profit publishing organizations.

Jonathan A. Eisen was born in Brookline, MA and grew up in Bethesda, MD. He went to Harvard College where he majored in Biology and then attended graduate school at Stanford University and earned a PhD in Biological Sciences. He was on the faculty at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR) for eight years before moving to the University of California, Davis. At UC Davis he is a Professor with appointments in the Department of Evolution and Ecology, the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology and the UC Davis Genome Center. He is the author of over 200 scientific publications, a member of the American Academy of Microbiology, is actively involved in the movement for increased openness in science, and serves as chair of the PLOS Biology Advisory Board.

R2RC Partners with PhD Comics for Open Access Week Video!

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 14:23:48 UT

To close Open Access Week 2012, we’re excited to announce our video collaboration with PhD Comics to produce “Open Access Explained!”. The comic-style animated video is a great resource to explain the basics of Open Access and why it’s important to friends, family, and colleagues. Take a look, and help us spread the word about Open Access throughout the research community and to the public at large!

European Commission Open Access Policy Officer to speak at R2RC European Open Access Week Webcast

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 21:39:54 UT

When: Wednesday, October 24th at 18:00 CET
Register: Registration is free but required. After registering, you will receive login instructions the day before the webcast. Register now by clicking here.

As the Times Higher Education reported earlier this year, “the European Union is set to throw the weight of its €80 billion research funding programme behind open-access publishing.” This research funding programme, Horizon 2020, is currently being considered by the European Commission, but the inclusion of a strong Open Access policy is far from certain. As a stakeholder community, students have an important role to play in ensuring the results of this publicly funded research are made openly available to all.

On Wednesday, October 24th at 18:00 CET, the Right to Research Coalition will host its European Open Access Week Webcast featuring Jean-François Dechamp and Alma Swan, two leading experts on European Open Access policy. Our speakers will address the current Open Access policy landscape within Europe, explain the deliberations within the European Commission to make all €80 billion of research funded in the Horizon 2020 framework openly available, and describe how students can advocate most effectively for strong Open Access policies.

About our speakers:

Jean-François Dechamp is a Policy Officer on Open Access within the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation. He started his career in the Council of Europe, joined a pharmaceutical company in Italy, and then came to Brussels to work for several pharmaceutical associations in the field of European public affairs. In 2002, he joined the campaign for access to essential medicines of an international humanitarian non-governmental organisation, and later became the director of a patients' group in HIV/AIDS. Dr. Dechamp obtained his State Diploma of Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Strasbourg (France) in 1991.

Alma Swan is SPARC Europe’s Director of European Advocacy Programmes and a director of Key Perspectives Ltd, a market research and consulting firm specializing in scholarly communication. She is a Fellow of the Society of Biology and a Chartered Biologist, is an elected member of the Governing Board of Euroscience (the European Association for the Promotion of Science & Technology) and is the former editor of its online magazine, The Euroscientist. Dr. Swan holds honorary academic positions in the University of Southampton School of Electronics & Computer Science and the University of Warwick Business School.

Register for our webcast now by clicking here.

R2RC Open Access Week 2012 Planning Webcast

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 17:54:48 UT

When: Thursday, September 27th at 1:30pm EDT, 7:30pm CET
Registration is free, but required. After registering, you will receive login instructions the day before the event.

Click here to register.

Want to participate in Open Access Week but aren’t sure how to get started? Have some Open Access Week events planned but want to get ideas from what others are doing?

What is Open Access Week?

Join us Thursday, September 27th at 1:30pm EDT, 7:30pm CET for a one-hour Open Access Week planning webcast. We’ll have representatives from Right to Research Coalition members in Africa, Europe, and North America discuss their organizations’ plans for the week, and we’ll have a number of ideas for participating in Open Access Week that don’t require months of advanced planning.

Our featured webcast speakers will include:

Brandon Locke is the Vice Chair of Open Access for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Graduate Student Association and will lead their Open Access Week efforts for the second year in a row.

Mary Iwaret Otiti is the Medical Students’ Association of Kenya’s National Officer of Research Exchange and, in cooperation with EIFL, is planning Open Access Week events on the campus of the University of Nairobi.

Sofia Ribeiro is the European Medical Student Association’s Vice President for External Affairs and leads EMSA’s Open Access Week efforts, which will include overprice tags and the translation of R2RC resources into new languages.

With one month left, there’s still plenty of time to join students across the world in promoting Open Access on your campus during the week. Join us next week to ask questions, get ideas, and make plans to participate in the 6th annual Open Access Week. Students started Open Access Week in 2007, and with your help, we can make this year bigger than ever.

Find more information on Open Access Week at www.openaccessweek.org.

Click here to register.

[UPDATE]

Our speakers' slides can be found at the links below:

Brandon Locke on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's OA Week activities
Mary Iwaret Otiti on the Medical Students' Association of Kenya's OA Week activities
Sofia Riberio on the European Medical Student Association's OA Week activities
Nick Shockey on last minute ideas for participating in OA Week

Call to Action: Sign White House petition for free access to publicly funded research

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:21:25 UT

The Challenge | What You Can Do | Background

The Challenge

To get 25,000 signatures in under 30 days on a White House petition calling for President Obama to make taxpayer-funded research articles freely available.

If we can hit this target - or better yet, blow it out of the water - we can revolutionize students' access to information, increase access to affordable education, and accelerate the pace of science. Each year, we spend $60 billion in government research grants that fund the bulk of published research articles. Yet, even though we paid for the research, our institutions can't get access to the results without paying millions for often-expensive academic journals. Students are limited to what their institutions can afford (and even Harvard can't afford access to all its students need), and institutions with already-stretched budgets are forced to spend millions on subscriptions to rent access to a subset of journals.

With a simple directive, the President could provide students free access to these crucial resources that we paid for in the first place. The Administration has repeatedly shown interest in opening access to publicly funded research, and we strongly believe this petition will be a catalyst for the President to take decisive action.

As the recent negotiations on student loan debt have shown, President Obama cares what students have to say. Your voice matters. Sign the petition and encourage your friends and family to do the same. Together, we can send a signal that will make an education limited by paywalls a thing of the past.

What You Can Do

1. Sign the petition on the White House website.

2. Share with your friends, family, and colleagues. If we're going to blow past 25,000 signatures, we need your help. Share our call to action on facebook and twitter (#openaccess), write an op-ed for your campus newspaper, blog about it, email a link to your friends - whatever you can do to spread the word will make a difference.

3. Stay connected. Enter your email address below to receive infrequent updates from the Right to Research Coalition on future calls to action and other significant developments.

Background

Among students, finding what seems to be the perfect article only to realize you don't have access to the full-text is about as common an experience as there is. What you might not realize is that this problem is as unnecessary as it is common.

As taxpayers, we fund the bulk of published research through federal science agencies like the National Institutes of Health; however, even though we’ve paid for the research, we can’t read the resulting articles without paying often-expensive prices for the journals they’re published in. In 15 academic disciplines, the average journal costs more than $1,000 per year, and some journals can cost as much as $25,000 or more for a single subscription for one year. It’s common for the largest commercial publishers of academic journals to make profit margins in excess of 35% year in and year out, even though colleges and universities struggle to make ends meet without sacrificing college affordability.

Opening up access to these articles would give all students access to these resources crucial for a complete, up-to-date education - regardless of ability to pay for expensive journal subscriptions.

Through a Presidential directive, President Obama has the power to open all federally funded research immediately, and his administration has shown strong interest in doing so. Within the first year of his term, the White House issued a Request for Information about the merits of a policy requiring all federally funded research to be made available. Just this winter, the Obama Administration issued another Request for Information asking not if such a policy is a good idea, but rather how to implement it.

This interest means the petition isn't just a shot in the dark. We know the Administration is listening, and we know they are already considering taking action. A strong show of support can catalyze interest into action, turning requests for information into decisive policy.

More information and news can be found at the petition campaign website: www.access2research.org.

Today is the day!

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:23:48 UT

Today is the day, our Right to Research Coalition Day of Action in support of the Federal Research Public Access Act!

If you haven’t already, please take a few moments to draft an op-ed or letter to the editor explaining FRPAA and how it would benefit you and your campus community, then submit it to your local newspapers. These articles are very effective advocacy tools and demonstrate to your representatives and your local community the importance of this issue and this legislation. Furthermore, you will help raise awareness of the bill and inspire others to contact their representatives, providing a significant boost to FRPAA and its chances to become law.

You can find more details in our post announcing the day of action as well as talking points and tips for writing to your newspaper.

We’re excited to see pro-FRPAA articles appear in campus and local newspapers across the country over the next week, and don’t forget to send a link to nick [at] arl [dot] org when your story is run.

Thanks for your help in making the FRPAA Day of Action a success and bringing FRPAA one step closer to becoming law!

Press the Press: Announcing the FRPAA Day of Action on April 25th!

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:57:48 UT

On April 25th, the Right to Research Coalition will host a Day of Action in support of the Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA), which would revolutionize students’ access to scholarly research by requiring that all federally-funded research be made openly available to the public. Students are encouraged to write op-eds and letters to the editor for publication in their local and campus newspapers, and write their legislators encouraging them to support and co-sponsor the bill. Students have already made a real impact, helping to secure a number of FRPAA’s 26 new co-sponsors, and April 25th will serve as a springboard to amplify student influence and help make FRPAA a reality.

For additional background information on the legislation, see our FRPAA call to action.

3 simple ways you can participate in the FRPAA Day of Action

1. Write for your local paper.

First and foremost: on April 25th, write and submit an op-ed or letter to the editor (LTE) supporting FRPAA to your local or campus newspaper – the bigger the outlet, the better. Writing an article in your local newspaper is one of the most effective ways to influence your representatives, so be sure to mention your legislators by name and send a copy to their offices once it’s published. Your piece may not necessarily run on the 25th, but we’ll be collecting all of the articles that are published over that next week as a result of the Day of Action to use in lobbying Congress.

Read our detailed guide and talking points for writing op-eds and LTEs.

2. Lobby directly.

Write to your legislators and ask that they support FRPAA . You can do so directly from our legislative action center (hosted by the Alliance for Taxpayer Access), which includes a customizable template letter.

3. Get the word out.

Raise awareness of FRPAA through Facebook, Twitter, other social media sites, blogs, and any appropriate mailing lists you may be a part of. Encourage your friends and colleagues to consider writing op-eds and LTEs as well, and to contact their Congressional representatives and encourage them to support FRPAA.

For more ways to support public access to federally-funded research and additional resources, see our FRPAA call to action.

Follow up!

Once your op-ed or letter to the editor is published, make sure you forward it to your representatives, and send a copy to nick [at] arl [dot] org so we can be sure to publicize your contribution and use it to lobby for FRPAA’s passage.

Act now! Support the bipartisan Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA)

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:13:53 UT

Students! Act now to support the bipartisan Federal Research Public Access Act (S. 2096, H.R. 4004). This important legislation would provide students - and the rest of the public - with unprecedented free and timely access to all articles resulting from federally funded research.

We currently have a unique opportunity to create change. The Research Works Act, a piece of legislation introduced in December that would ban the government from providing the public access to publicly funded research, has galvanized the research community into acting against practices that restrict access to research articles – reaching the pages of the Economist, the New York Times, Wired, the Guardian, the Boston Globe, Slate, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and many other outlets.

Furthermore, the publishers of the two most prestigious scientific journals, Science and Nature, have not only opposed the Research Works Act but also endorsed the National Institutes of Health public access policy, which FRPAA would extend to the other federal science agencies.

With reinvigorated support from the research community and attention from the mainstream media, now is the time to push for this groundbreaking legislation and let Congress know that students - and the rest of the public - deserve access to the research which they paid for and upon which their education depends.

Act Now | Background | Talking Points | Resources

Act now!

Let Congress know you support FRPAA

Write your legislators, via the Right to Research Action Center
A letter of support is the best way to influence your legislators to support and co-sponsor FRPAA if they haven't already, or if they have, a letter thanking them for their leadership will go a long way in getting them to push FRPAA aggressively. Through our action center, you can send letters to your legislators directly using pre-made templates that you can add to and customize.

[NOTE: the above link will take you to the Alliance for Taxpayer Access site, which hosts the Right to Research Coalition's legislative action center]
Thank FRPAA's introducing co-sponsors
Even if you're not in their districts, it's important to thank FRPAA's introducing sponsors to let them know there is a large community of support behind the bill.
Visit your legislators' local offices
Taking the time for an in-person visit to the office of one of your legislators is an especially effective was to demonstrate your support for FRPAA, particularly if you can organize a group of students from your campus or your student organization to join you.

Raise awareness of and build support for FRPAA

Tell your friends and professors about FRPAA, encourage them to contact their legislators as well.
Sign the ATA Petition in support of FRPAA. Click here to view signatories of the petition.
Like the Right to Research Coalition Facebook page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to receive the latest news and updates. Share our call to action and updates through your own Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Tweet at or post of the Facebook wall of your legislators to ask them to support and co-sponsor FRPAA; or, if they're already a sponsor, thank them for their leadership.
Write a letter to the editor or op-ed for your campus or local newspaper. You can submit a letter to the editor directly to publications in your area through the media section of our legislative action center.
Make a brief, 5-minute presentation on FRPAA and what students can do to support it at student group meetings.
Add a "Support FRPAA" banner to your or your organization's website. You can find the banner in a variety of formats here.

Background

Now before both the House of Representatives and the Senate, the Federal Research Public Access Act (S. 2096, H.R. 4004) would require those agencies with annual extramural research budgets of $100 million or more to provide the public with online access to research manuscripts stemming from such funding no later than six months after publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

This bill would revolutionize students' access to the tools necessary for a complete, up-to-date education. Even at well funded universities, students - and those who teach them - often cannot get access to significant portions of the scholarly record due to prohibitive price barriers. The vast collection of articles FRPAA would make freely available - representing a significant portion of all researched published in the United States - would provide students with an unprecedented educational resource and level the playing field for those at less wealthy institutions.

The bill specifically covers unclassified research funded by agencies including: Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation.

FRPAA reflects the growing trend among funding agencies – and college and university campuses – to leverage their investment in the conduct of research by maximizing the dissemination of results. It follows the successful path forged by the NIH’s Public Access Policy, as well as by private funders like the Wellcome Trust and campuses such as Harvard, MIT, and the University of Kansas. The bill also reflects the Obama Administration’s recent expression of interest in the potential implementation of public access policies across U.S. science and technology agencies – as indicated by the call for public comment issued by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, which closed in January.

Talking Points

Thank the sponsors for introducing FRPAA and ask your Representative and Senators to consider co-sponsoring FRPAA.
The bipartisan bill, which was introduced in the Senate by Senators Cornyn (R-TX), Wyden (D-OR), and Hutchison (R-TX) and in the House by Representatives Doyle (D-PA), Yoder (R-KS), and Clay (D-MO) would ensure that the published results of research funded by the U.S. government can be accessed and used by American taxpayers via the Internet.
Because of often-high subscription prices and shrinking library budgets, students routinely run into barriers accessing research articles - especially those at less wealthy institutions. The bill will significantly expand the access that students - and those who teach them - have to the up-to-date research that forms the building blocks of our education, from the core to the cutting edge.
By improving undergraduate and graduate education, FRPAA will benefit students when it comes to putting their educations to use after graduation. Students will be better able to hit the ground running in their careers and contribute immediately in both the public and private sectors.
America's future economic competitiveness will rely on workers with an advanced education in fields like biotechnology and clean energy that depend on unfettered access to the research literature.
Widespread access to the information contained in these manuscripts is an essential, inseparable component of our nation's investment in science. This and other scientific information should be shared in cost-effective ways that take advantage of the Internet, stimulate further discovery and innovation, and advance the translation of this knowledge into public benefits.
Open online access to research will ensure maximum discovery, use and re-use of available research – making possible an unprecedented variety of potential connections and discoveries, and improve the lives and welfare of people in the U.S. and around the world.
[Detail why public access to research is important to you or your organization.]

Resources

US House and Senate introduce bipartisan bill to unlock federally funded research, improve students’ educations

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:48:13 UT

For immediate release
February 09, 2012

For more information, contact:

Nick Shockey
Director, Right to Research Coalition
+1 202 296 2296
nick [at] arl [dot] org

US House and Senate introduce bipartisan bill to unlock federally funded research, improve students’ educations

Washington, DC – In a coordinated effort signaling the importance of public access to publicly funded research, both chambers of the United States Congress today introduced the Federal Research Public Access Act, important legislation which would improve American higher education by requiring that federally funded research be made openly available to the public. The bipartisan bill was introduced in the House by Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA), Kevin Yoder (R-KS), and Lacy Clay (D-MO), and in the Senate by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX).

The Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA) would unlock the United States’ $60 billion annual investment in research that yields a significant portion of all peer-reviewed articles published every year. These articles form the basis of students’ educations in nearly any field, from the core to the cutting edge. Making all federal research openly available will significantly expand students’ access to the resources necessary for a complete, up-to-date education.

“The National Association of Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS) strongly supports the Federal Research Public Access Act,” said NAGPS President and CEO, Matt Cooper. “Empowering students with open access to federally funded research will significantly improve graduate and professional education in the US and boost American competitiveness in the global economy. In an era of severe budget pressures in higher education, open availability of this research will enable all graduate and professional students in the US to quickly incorporate new knowledge into their research, teaching, and education.”

By improving undergraduate and graduate education, FRPAA will also benefit students when it comes to putting their educations to use after graduation. Students – with the benefit of more up-to-date training – will be better able to hit the ground running in their careers and contribute immediately in both the public and private sectors.

“The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) applauds the introduction of the Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA),” said Danielle Salovich, AMSA’s National President. “AMSA members rely on publicly funded research during their training as students and later as practicing physicians. By ensuring medical educators and trainees have unfettered access to the most cutting-edge research, FRPAA will produce a health professions workforce better prepared to serve the U.S. health care needs and compete in the global economy. On behalf of the nation's future physicians, AMSA continues to support free and timely access to federal research and urges swift passage of FRPAA.”

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Founded by students in the summer of 2009, the Right to Research Coalition is an international alliance undergraduate and graduate student organizations, representing nearly 7 million students, that promotes Open Access to scholarship. The Right to Research Coalition believes no student should be denied access to the published articles they need, because they or their institution cannot afford access. The coalition works to educate the next generation of scholars and researchers about Open Access and to advocate for policies at the campus, national, and international levels that expand access to the results of research.

The Right to Research Coalition is supported by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).

Call to Action: Oppose H.R. 3699, a new bill to block public access to publicly funded research

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:03:55 UT

A new anti-Public Access bill has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) that would undo and effectively ban NIH-style public access policies.

From the SPARC Call to Action:

A new bill, The Research Works Act (H.R.3699), designed to roll back the NIH Public Access Policy and block the development of similar policies at other federal agencies has been introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives. Co-sponsored by Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), it was introduced on December 16, 2011, and referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Essentially, the bill seeks to prohibit federal agencies from conditioning their grants to require that articles reporting on publicly funded research be made accessible to the public online.

The bill text is short and to the point. The main point reads:

"No Federal agency may adopt, implement, maintain, continue, or otherwise engage in any policy, program, or other activity that -- (1) causes, permits, or authorizes network dissemination of any private-sector research work without the prior consent of the publisher of such work; or (2) requires that any actual or prospective author, or the employer of such an actual or prospective author, assent to network dissemination of a private-sector research work."

This bill would erase years of progress from the NIH policy – which makes 90,000 papers per year freely available through PubMed Central – and prohibit students and taxpayers from having guaranteed access to research they paid for in the first place.

We strongly encourage students to contact Representatives Issa and Maloney as well as other members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to express their concern over the Research Works Act. Students should also contact their individual representatives to voice their opposition to the Research Works Act and support for NIH-style public access policies.

For more information, including a form to contact your representatives directly and a template letter opposing H.R. 3699, visit the Right to Research Coalition Action Center.

Leading European medical and psychological student associations join Right to Research Coalition

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:01:06 UT

For immediate release
December 8, 2011

For more information, contact:

Nick Shockey
Director, Right to Research Coalition
+1 202 296 2296
nick [at] arl [dot] org

Leading European medical and psychological student associations join Right to Research Coalition

Washington, DC – The European Medical Students’ Association (EMSA) and the European Federation of Psychology Students’ Associations (EFPSA) have joined the Right to Research Coalition, bringing more than 300,000 individuals into the coalition’s network of students advocating for and educating others about Open Access to research. These two organizations join a dozen leading national and international student organizations to become members of the Right to Research Coalition since January.

Founded in 2009, the Right to Research Coalition is an international alliance of 47 undergraduate and graduate student organizations that works to educate the next generation of scholars and researchers about Open Access and to advocate for policies at the campus, national, and international levels that expand access to the results of research.

The two new members have already demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting Open Access and leveraging the power of their members to effect change. EMSA has made Open Access a focus at their recent General Assemblies, and has begun engaging the Standing Committee of European Doctors (Comité Permanent des Médecins Européens) on the topic. Similarly supportive, EFPSA publishes an open-access journal and has had members call on the American Psychological Association to embrace more open publishing practices.

"It is crucial that medical students have access to relevant, high-quality research for the best possible education,” said Borislav Manev, President of the European Medical Students’ Association. “This access is critical to a research-based education that will allow today's students to advance medical research further and take better care of their patients in the future. EMSA is proud to be a member of the Right to Research Coalition and work with other like-minded student organizations to promote this issue of vital importance to students in every discipline and in every country around the world."

Maris Vainre, editor-in-chief of the EFPSA open-access journal, said, “We believe unrestricted access to scientific knowledge is vital to enhance the quality of psychology as a science and our own education in becoming scientists and practitioners. The European Federation of Psychology Students' Associations acknowledges the importance of open access to science and therefore publishes its Journal of European Psychology Students following this principle. To further emphasize our support to the movement, EFPSA joined the Right to Research Coalition.”

Other national and international student organizations to join the Right to Research Coalition over the past year include the European Pharmaceutical Students' Association (EPSA), the International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences (IAAS), the International Federation of Medical Students' Associations (IFMSA), the Lebanese Medical Students' International Committee (LeMSIC), Medsin-UK, and the Medical Students’ Association of Kenya (MSAKE).

The full list of Right to Research Coalition members is available at http://www.righttoresearch.org/about/members.

For more information about the coalition and how to join as an organization or express support as an individual, visit http://www.righttoresearch.org.

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About the Right to Research Coalition

The Right to Research Coalition is an initiative of the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC).

http://www.righttoresearch.org

Open Access as a Healthcare Investment

Tin Knežević — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 18:01:02 UT

“There is no wealth like knowledge. No poverty like ignorance.” - Ali ibn Abu Talib

In the ever-changing 21st century, the World is, sometimes painfully, becoming aware of the truth behind those words. Information has nowadays become a new kind of currency, and knowledge is basically the only true investment.

The global information (r)evolution has slowly been building up on the foundations of perhaps the single most important invention in the history of the human race – the Internet. Most of what now defines the 21st century (and even the so called anthropocene) would not have been possible without it. Our civilization has become global, and information has become easily accessible to anyone with access to a connected computer and enough curiosity to use a search engine. And on those wings scientific progress has brought us further then we could have dreamed of less than a lifetime ago!

But how accessible is this “wealth” really? Most of us are aware that sitting with our laptops in our lap, holding a smartphone or the newest tablet we actually belong to the lucky ones! We belong to the part of the global population that not only has easy access to the Internet, but also the skill to use it!

And of those lucky few, how many of us are involved with research and science? How many of us really do have the ability (permission) to access the research articles we need?

Perhaps you are lucky, and the university you studied at had full access to research journals and up-to-date research data. And you were probably not aware of any related costs. In which case – wow!

But if you are reading this, you have probably come across articles you cannot open, data you cannot reach, and information you cannot access. Most probably it was both new as well as interesting. Most probably, it would have helped you with your research and made your results more relevant. And most probably you were surprised by the fact that you did not have access to it and wished it was open to the public...

So what is the root of the problem?

It’s of a financial sort... To put it simply, the price of scientific and scholarly journal subscriptions is rapidly rising – now, some even cost more then 20,000 euros a year! Faced with the challenge of declining budgets and increasing subscription prices, universities are forced to cancel access to valuable resources. The result is that students, professors, and the rest of the scientific and scholarly community are routinely left without access to significant portions of the scholarly record! This harms the education of students and inhibits scientific progress unnecessarily.

The funniest thing is that much of this very research has been done in public universities funded by public money! So, if the public paid for the research, why are we denied access to the results?

One could argue that the full extent of human knowledge belongs to society as a whole and that free access to information should be a basic human right. As such, open access to research should be an indisputable right, especially when the public funds it! But it’s not only a matter of rights, it’s also a matter of investment and responsibility!

“A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle.” - Khalil Gibran

Now, we all know that if not used, knowledge is useless. So why not share it and let it be used? After all, only once used does knowledge become an active investment!

Coming from a medical background, I know that information often means the difference between the progression of a disease or full recovery, even to the extent of life and death.

As a student, I am taught to search for the optimal solution for each and every specific case. As a future doctor, I am trained to understand and conduct research, using not only scientific methods but also the most up-to-date medical literature. And the world of medicine is changing rapidly! Without proper access to research, without comparison and meta-analysis, how can we expect to base our decisions on evidence? How can we expect to be competent doctors?

To make good judgments we, as doctors, have to have access to up-to-date medical information. And research articles are the foundation of it!

Believing in this and upholding the highest humanitarian values, EMSA has recently changed its Statutes and added the following sentence to its Principles: “The Association will apply the principle of free access to information in its activities and shall also support open access initiatives.”

By doing so, EMSA has become one of a growing number of non-governmental organizations that acknowledge open access – the idea that peer-reviewed research should be made freely available on the Internet with full reuse rights immediately upon publication – is fundamental to our activities. We trust that by doing so we have made a good investment in the future of not only science, but also healthcare.

We are therefore proud to become a member of the Right to Research Coalition family and are certain that together we will: “Be the change we want to see in the World.” – Mahatma Ghandi

Call to action: 2011 White House RFI on public access (deadline Jan. 2)

Nick Shockey — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:00:31 UT

The opportunity

As part of the process of fulfilling Section 103 of the 2010 America COMPETES Act, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has issued a Request for Information (RFI), asking individuals and organizations to provide recommendations on approaches for broad public access and long-term stewardship to peer-reviewed scholarly publications that result from federally funded scientific research. The RFI poses eight multi-part questions, which can be found at the link below.

The Right to Research Coalition strongly encourages student organizations, student governments, and individual students to submit responses supporting public access – your comments will be crucial in both showing the need for public access and ensuring the policy is maximally beneficial for students. This is a real opportunity to greatly expand students’ access to academic research, so please take a few minutes to submit a comment. Each response will be important in demonstrating students’ need for access to federally funded research.

The full text of the RFI may be found at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-11-04/html/2011-28623.htm

Who should respond?

It is urgent that as many individuals and organizations as possible respond. We strongly encourage you to write in both individually and on behalf of any student organizations that you are a member of. You’re also encouraged to share this call to action with any friends, colleagues, professors, or others in your network who would be willing to submit a carefully thought-out response.

For reference, the RFI specifically calls for comments from “non-Federal stakeholders, including the public, universities, nonprofit and for-profit publishers, libraries, federally funded and non-federally funded research scientists, and other organizations and institutions with a stake in long-term preservation and access to the results of federally funded research.”

If you can’t answer all of the questions, answer as many as possible – and respond to questions as directly as possible. Responses that reference the questions directly will have more impact than those that are supportive of public access more generally.

How the results will be used

The input provided through this RFI will inform the National Science and Technology Council’s Task Force on Public Access to Scholarly Publications, convened by OSTP.

OSTP will issue a report to Congress describing:

1. Priorities for the development of agency policies for ensuring broad public access to the results of federally funded, unclassified research;
2. The status of agency policies for public access to publications resulting from federally funded research;
3. Public input collected.

Taxpayers paid for the research.
We deserve to be able to access the results.

The main point to emphasize is that taxpayers are entitled to access the results of the research our tax dollars fund, especially given how crucial this research is for a complete, up-to-date education. Taxpayers should be allowed to immediately access and fully reuse the results of publicly funded research.

To discuss talking points in further detail, don’t hesitate to contact us.

How to respond

The deadline for submissions is January 2, 2012. Submissions should be sent via email to publicaccess@ostp.gov. Please note: OSTP will publicly post all submissions after the deadline (along with names of submitters and their institutions) so please make sure not to include any confidential or proprietary information in your submission. Attachments may be included.

As ever, thanks for your commitment to public access and the advancement of these crucial policies.

If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to contact:

Nick Shockey
Director, Right to Research Coalition
nick [at] arl [dot] org
202-296-2296

Right to Research Coalition - Blog

White House issues landmark Directive making publicly funded research freely available to students, rest of public

WHITE HOUSE ISSUES LANDMARK DIRECTIVE MAKING PUBLICLY FUNDED RESEARCH FREELY AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS, REST OF PUBLIC

Call to Action: Support the Fair Access to Science and Technology Research Act (FASTR)

Act Now | Background | Talking Points | Resources

Act now!

Let Congress know you support FASTR

Raise awareness of and build support for FASTR

Background

Talking Points

Resources

Open Access Explored! A conversation with Jorge Cham of PhD Comics, live from UC San Francisco

R2RC Partners with PhD Comics for Open Access Week Video!

European Commission Open Access Policy Officer to speak at R2RC European Open Access Week Webcast

R2RC Open Access Week 2012 Planning Webcast

Call to Action: Sign White House petition for free access to publicly funded research

The Challenge | What You Can Do | Background

The Challenge

What You Can Do

Background

Today is the day!

Press the Press: Announcing the FRPAA Day of Action on April 25th!

3 simple ways you can participate in the FRPAA Day of Action

Follow up!

Act now! Support the bipartisan Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA)

Act Now | Background | Talking Points | Resources

Act now!

Let Congress know you support FRPAA

Raise awareness of and build support for FRPAA

Background

Talking Points

Resources

US House and Senate introduce bipartisan bill to unlock federally funded research, improve students’ educations

Call to Action: Oppose H.R. 3699, a new bill to block public access to publicly funded research

Leading European medical and psychological student associations join Right to Research Coalition

Open Access as a Healthcare Investment

Call to action: 2011 White House RFI on public access (deadline Jan. 2)

The opportunity

Who should respond?

How the results will be used

Taxpayers paid for the research. We deserve to be able to access the results.

How to respond

Taxpayers paid for the research.
We deserve to be able to access the results.