{"id":1057,"date":"2019-10-16T09:46:53","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T08:46:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/openaccess\/?p=1057"},"modified":"2019-10-28T16:03:10","modified_gmt":"2019-10-28T16:03:10","slug":"plan-u-open-access-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs-staging.imperial.ac.uk\/openaccess\/2019\/10\/16\/plan-u-open-access-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Plan U: Open access initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plan U: A mandate for universal access to research using\u00a0preprint<\/span><\/b>s<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Introduction:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

A preprint is a full draft of a research paper that is shared publicly before it has been peer reviewed. They are a growing form of scholarly communication. Plan U aims to make use of preprints to provide universal access to research. We are at a point where traditional forms of scholarly communication are slow and inaccessible. Can a preprint mandate change this?<\/p>\n

Plan U<\/a> is an open access initiative that seeks to mandate depositing research papers to a preprint server before publication. This mandate would come from funders. (More information is available in this article<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the <\/span><\/b>problems?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. The process of getting a research paper published is slow<\/strong> and arguably this is getting slower. This means that research is delayed in being seen and used.<\/li>\n
  2. Plan U aims to tackle issues of accessibility<\/strong>. Once a paper is accepted it remains behind the journal paywall. Even if papers are deposited into open access repositories<\/a> there are usually embargoes. This means that research papers are inaccessible to those who do not have access to the journal platforms.<\/li>\n
  3. The final issue is the expense<\/strong>. Some are lucky enough to have funds to pay for Article Processing Charges (APCs) at which point your research is made available at the point of publication. However, even the richest universities struggle to find money to pay for these fees.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Preprint servers:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Plan U suggests that by using<\/span>\u00a0preprint servers you can speed up\u00a0the access to the research\u00a0<\/span>and<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>make it widely accessible<\/span>\u00a0for minimal costs<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Preprint servers are free for both the reader\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span><\/i>the author.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Posting\u00a0preprints is already widely accepted\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0many disciplines\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>is growing<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0others<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    a<\/span>rXiv<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is generally considered the first preprint server and has been around since 1991<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>arXiv<\/span>\u00a0hosts approximately\u00a0<\/span>1.5 million papers and\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>his is growing at the rate of 140,000 a year.\u00a0<\/span>In the last five\u00a0<\/span>years<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0t<\/span>he success of\u00a0<\/span>arXiv<\/span>\u00a0has<\/span>\u00a0sparked the creation of other subject specific\u00a0<\/span>preprint servers such as\u00a0<\/span>bioRxiv<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>chemRxiv<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>EarthArxiv<\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span>medRxiv<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to name a few.<\/span>\u00a0It is estimated that by depositing p<\/span>reprints this<\/span>\u00a0could speed up scientific research\u00a0<\/span>by\u00a0<\/span>five times over 10\u00a0<\/span>years<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"arXiv<\/p>\n

    Benefits of\u00a0preprints:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

    There are recognised benefits to\u00a0posting\u00a0preprints<\/span>.\u00a0Plan U highlights the benefits of\u00a0preprints to the community. H<\/span>ere are some<\/span>\u00a0benefits to the authors<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n