Open access and collaboration in research. Barriers to collaboration in academic publishing

Academic Paper from the year 2016 in the subject Book Science, grade: 1.0, University of Sussex, language: English, abstract: This paper aims to review the scholarly literature offering criticism on the concept of open access (OA) publishing, in particular with regards to the effect of OA on researcher¿s collaborative working. Relevant literature is critically reviewed with the aim of identifying barriers to collaboration in academic publishing and as to what degree OA can mediate these.

OA relates to research outputs that are free of any restrictions on access (such as subscription walls) and free of any restrictions on use and re-use of research outputs (such as copyright and license restrictions). Some scholars regard OA as a helpful tool for fostering collaborative work amongst researchers.

Observing that scientific problems have become more complex and require a joint effort, these scholars argue that knowledge creation and dissemination could be more efficient if scientists worked together. The core requirement for collaboration among researchers is commonly identified as their ability to share information freely.