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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/mar/10/australias-chief-scientist-is-taking-on-the-journal-publishing-monopoly-gatekeeping-knowledge>
"Before Latin mass was abandoned in the late 1960s, the average church-goer got
by picking up snippets of phrases and the meanings of gestures.
To Dr Averil Cook, that’s what scientific research is like in the 21st century.
The public relies on information to be synthesised for us, trickled down until
it is devoid of its origin.
Cook, a clinical psychologist, is lucky. She can access the full breadth of
scientific research due to being an adjunct professor at UNSW.
But without the backing of academic institutions and prestigious organisations,
professionals – including doctors, frontline clinicians and politicians – are
in the dark, unless they can fork out thousands on expensive journal
subscriptions.
“In my work, access to research is critical – we’re scientists, it’s constantly
evolving,” Cook says. “But most psychologists don’t have the chance to become
adjuncts or access journals.
“It’s a source of deep frustration. I need to be kept up date with all sorts of
scientific updates but you’re hamstrung if you wait for it to be filtered to
you.”
The gatekeeping of research journals needs to be urgently addressed if
Australia is to drive innovation, academics have warned, with the nation
lagging behind on open access reform.
Australia has produced almost 2m research publications since the turn of the
century. But just 43% were open access, with the rest stuck behind expensive
paywalls and largely inaccessible to the public.
Australia’s chief scientist, Dr Cathy Foley, has placed open access firmly on
the agenda before her three-year tenure ends in December."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
