Implications of Open Access Journals for Professional Associations

For the past several years, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) has been in the throes of a “transformation.” This transformation has implied an increased responsibility for Canadian researchers to communicate the results of funded research to those who pay for it, that is, the public. Continuing education researchers engaged in participatory, action-oriented projects, which have always partnered with community organizations, are primed to lead in this era of social accountability. Paralleling its emphasis on knowledge-building for social good, SSHRC has recently issued a challenge related to dissemination, that is, to make research results accessible to consumers outside of the academy through Open Access (OA) journals. Open access is based on the idea that the results of publicly funded research should be available free of charge to all. The concept was Implications of Open Access Journals for Professional Associations

For the past several years, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) has been in the throes of a "transformation." This transformation has implied an increased responsibility for Canadian researchers to communicate the results of funded research to those who pay for it, that is, the public. Continuing education researchers engaged in participatory, action-oriented projects, which have always partnered with community organizations, are primed to lead in this era of social accountability. Paralleling its emphasis on knowledge-building for social good, SSHRC has recently issued a challenge related to dissemination, that is, to make research results accessible to consumers outside of the academy through Open Access (OA) journals.
Open access is based on the idea that the results of publicly funded research should be available free of charge to all. The concept was Implications of Open Access Journals for Professional Associations

Katy Campbell, University of Alberta
Depuis quelques années, le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada (CRSH) est en pleine « transformation ». Pour les chercheurs canadiens, cette transformation laisse entendre une plus grande responsabilité de communiquer les résultats de recherches subventionnées à ceux qui les ont payés, c'est-à-dire, le public. Les chercheurs en éducation permanente participant à des projets de nature pragmatique et participative et s'étant toujours alliés aux organismes communautaires, sont prêts pour mener la barque dans cette ère de responsabilité sociale. En parallèle avec son emphase sur la notion de développement du savoir pour le bien commun, le CRSH a récemment lancé un défi en ce qui concerne la diffusion, c'est-àdire, le fait de rendre les résultats de recherches accessibles aux consommateurs, à l'extérieur de OA journals are "digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions" (Suber, 2005). From a knowledgebuilding viewpoint, these journals are more desirable than paid subscription-based journals because the removal of price and permission barriers promotes wider readership and nearly unlimited dissemination. (Although CJUCE maintains an accessible Web site, it is not considered an open access journal due to its embargo period of one year.) For SSHRC, open access refers to funded research results that • are accessible through the Internet; • include the full text or content of the research output; • are stored in a permanent location on-line; and • are free of direct costs to all potential users.
Clearly, this type of journal brings advantages to a knowledgebuilding community such as ours, but a number of academic, cultural, ethical, and logistical (including financial) issues need to be resolved. For example, for professional associations like CAUCE, a restrictedaccess journal is a member benefit and in some cases provides rev-l'académie par l'intermédiaire des revues à libre accès.
Des subventions du CRSH, offrant jusqu'à 30 000 $ enues. However, publishing a print journal is very costly for the organization, and the cost of maintaining a library collection of print journals is becoming prohibitive for many academic libraries. Second, the academic culture remains wary of digital formats, in some cases questioning the academic credibility of an e-journal. However, a journal cannot simply include an open access online component if the long-term goal is to reduce costs. Rather, it must convert entirely to an on-line format and not continue to offer a print option to its subscribers. The low cost of e-journals run by academic organizations provides a feasible answer to complaints about the dominance of commercial publishers and the weakening of libraries due to the inflated costs of journals.
Funding from SSHRC, which provides up to $30,000 annually through its Aid to Research and Transfer Journals program, can cover some costs associated with publishing scholarly journals. To be eligible for this funding, journals must meet seven criteria, including a formal peer-review process. Ironically, given the Council's vision for transformation, "the main stumbling block" for OA journals to receive SSHRC funding is that journals must have over 200 paid subscribers (Charbonneau, 2002 restriction by "requesting that those who can afford to pay, to please pay a one time 'subscription' fee of $10.00 CDN" (IRRODL, 2005).
Since 2000, CJUCE authors, readers, and editors, as well as the CAUCE board, have debated the e-future of the journal. Given the changing landscape of publishing, the expectation of Canadian taxpayers for demonstrated relevance and utility of research, and the need of researchers and practitioners for timely access to new knowledge, we encourage the university continuing education community to take leadership on this issue. Please email us or begin a conversation on the CAUCE listserv-or, better yet, in the Forum-and make a point of responding to SSHRC's request for advice from researchers/authors and consumers.
Thanks to Mackenzie Grisdale for the background research for this editorial.