Begin forwarded message:
From: Philip Pothen <p.pothen_at_JISC.AC.UK>
Date: June 28, 2006 10:04:31 AM EDT (CA)
To: JISC-DEVELOPMENT_at_JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: Press release: JISC welcomes RCUK's statement on access to research outputs
Press release
JISC welcomes RCUK^Òs statement on access to research outputs
28th June, 2006. JISC today welcomed the RCUK^Òs position statement
on access to research outputs, saying that the statement represents
^Ñan important step^Ò in helping to ensure that the fruits of UK
research are made more widely available. With individual research
councils beginning to set out their guidance for implementing the
RCUK principles, the statement will have major repercussions for
the future of UK research.
Published today, the statement reaffirms the RCUK^Òs belief in the
value of repositories as a means of improving access to the results
of publicly-funded research. It also restates its encouragement
given last year to UK researchers to deposit their outputs in
e-print repositories, suggesting that deposit should take place at
the earliest opportunity.
JISC fully supports this principle and is investing significantly
in the development of institutional repositories in the UK through
its £3.5m digital repositories programme and the £13.8m
repositories and preservation strand of its capital programme. JISC
is also supporting the development of UK PubMed Central as a
repository for research outputs in bio-medicine. JISC is therefore
well placed to ensure that repositories are available for
researchers who wish to deposit their outputs in them, and that the
necessary national infrastructure is in place to support access and
resource discovery across institutional and subject-based
repositories.
Further principles restated by RCUK include calls for rigorous
quality assurance procedures through peer review, efficient and
cost-effective communication and dissemination mechanisms and the
long-term preservation of research outputs.
JISC wholeheartedly supports such principles, actively promoting
them through the programmes outlined above, through its work in the
field of scholarly communications, its close links with publishers
and its pioneering work in highlighting and meeting the challenges
of digital preservation.
Welcoming the RCUK statement, Dr Malcolm Read, JISC^Òs Executive
Secretary, said: ^ÑThis statement represents an important step in
ensuring that the outputs of UK research are made more visible
worldwide, and in enhancing still further the international
standing of UK research. JISC warmly welcomes the statement, and
looks forward to working with RCUK, with publishers, learned
societies and other partner organisations towards our common
objectives.^Ò
To access the RCUK statement, please go to: RCUK
To find out more about JISC^Òs digital repositories programme,
please go to: JISC repositories programme
For further information, please contact: Philip Pothen on 020 7848
2935 or p.pothen_at_jisc.ac.uk
Received on Wed Jun 28 2006 - 18:04:27 BST