Australian Research Council Expects Fundees to Self-Archive

From: Stevan Harnad <harnad_at_ecs.soton.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2006 12:20:20 +0000

    [From Peter Suber's Open Access News]
    http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2006_12_03_fosblogarchive.html#116526965445838544

    Australia's ARC expects OA for ARC-funded projects

    The Australian Research Council (ARC) has published the Funding
    Rules for funding commencing in 2008 (undated but apparently released
    December 3, 2006). (Thanks to Colin Steele.)
    http://www.arc.gov.au/
    http://www.arc.gov.au/pdf/DP08_FundingRules.pdf

    Excerpt:

        1.4.5. Dissemination of research outputs

        1.4.5.1. The Australian Government makes a major investment in
        research to support its essential role in improving the wellbeing
        of our society. To maximise the benefits from research, findings
        need to be disseminated as broadly as possible to allow access
        by other researchers and the wider community.

        1.4.5.2. The ARC acknowledges that researchers take into account
        a wide range of factors in deciding on the best outlets for
        publications arising from their research. Such considerations
        include the status and reputation of a journal or publisher,
        the peer review process of evaluating their research outputs,
        access by other stakeholders to their work, the likely impact of
        their work on users of research and the further dissemination and
        production of knowledge. Taking heed of these considerations,
        the ARC wants to ensure the widest possible dissemination of
        the research supported under its funding, in the most effective
        manner and at the earliest opportunity.

        1.4.5.3. The ARC therefore encourages researchers to consider
        the benefits of depositing their data and any publications
        arising from a research project in an appropriate subject and/or
        institutional repository wherever such a repository is available
        to the researcher(s). If a researcher is not intending to deposit
        the data from a project in a repository within a six-month
        period, he/she should include the reasons in the project's
        Final Report. Any research outputs that have been or will be
        deposited in appropriate repositories should be identified in
        the Final Report.

    COMMENT: by Peter Suber. Kudos to the ARC for this important step.
    The policy doesn't use the language of a mandate, but it takes an
    approach that may be functionally equivalent: beyond requesting
    compliance, it shifts the burden to non-complying grantees to justify
    their non-compliance. This creates a strategic consideration that is
    not a sanction but more consequential that anything to be found in
    some of the policies that use mandatory language.

http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2006_12_03_fosblogarchive.html#116526965445838544
Received on Wed Dec 06 2006 - 23:17:51 GMT

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