Open Access: A Journey from India to the USA

Special thanks to Dr. Leah McCurdy, Director of Open Partnerships and Services, and Vanessa Garrett, Digital Publishing Librarian, for giving me this opportunity and constantly encouraging and supporting me.

Starting from the first blog in Open @ UTA Libraries on June 6, 2023, we have seen multiple blog posts on what open is, the UTA institutional repository, copyright, OA journals, and so on. As a result of those posts, I have gained much more insight and knowledge about what open access is and how it impacts scholarly publishing, which made me write a blog post on my own experiences in this field. This is the first student staff blog post of the Open @ UTA Libraries.

Introduction:

The concept "Open Access" (OA) has become increasingly prominent in the academic and publishing communities during the last few decades. For the academic world, OA is essentially the practice of making peer-reviewed academic research freely available to everyone. This means that there are no geographical, financial, legal, or technological barriers to accessing and reading the research. Many scholarly publications were once restricted to those who could afford expensive journal subscriptions by placing them behind paywalls. I want to share my personal experience with all of you today in the hopes that it will inspire some of you to join this incredible movement. I want to underline how advantageous it is for students as well.

Open Access: A Journey from India to the USA

When I first embarked on my academic journey in India, the concept of open access was still in its nascent stages. During my master's studies in the USA, I have had the opportunity to work in the UTA Libraries Open Partnerships and Services Department. It is here that I delve into the transformative world of freely accessible research. I will share my experiences with open access in both countries and shed light on its immense benefits for students.

My Experience in India:

In India, my first brush with OA was during my undergraduate research project, working on the development of a Smart Braille keyboard for people who need a different form of technology to support communication. Through out this project, the limited resources in our college library often left me frustrated. But I happened to come across an open access publication that featured a wealth of articles pertinent to my inquiry. This altered everything. Not only did it provide me with valuable information, but it also introduced me to the broader community of individuals interested in OA.

One notable example of OA in India is the "Shodhganga" initiative. It's a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses, ensuring that the knowledge generated by Indian universities is accessible to all.

Furthermore, India has been actively supporting OA publishing with several programs. One crucial portal that offers access to diverse types of digital content including books, articles, videos, audios, theses, and other educational materials is the National Digital Library of India (NDLI). The NDLI is a crucial platform resourced by the government of India that provides access to an extensive collection of digital resources, including various research publications. This initiative plays a vital role in bridging the information gap and serves as an invaluable resource for researchers, academics, and students alike. By hosting a vast range of research publications, the NDLI showcases India's dedication to promoting OA.

My Experience in the USA:

Upon arriving in the USA for my master's, I was pleasantly surprised by the widespread adoption of OA. Here, many universities and institutions actively promote OA, understanding its potential in democratizing knowledge.

The USA boasts a well-established OA publishing ecosystem. Many universities and research institutions have their own OA repositories and policies in place. These repositories act as centralized venues where academics can freely publish and distribute their work. OA methods are also being adopted more widely because funding organizations like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have put in place standards mandating that sponsored research be made publicly accessible.

Differences and Similarities:

While both India and the USA recognize the importance of OA in advancing research and knowledge dissemination, there are differences in terms of implementation and awareness. In India, there are initiatives underway to educate researchers, students, and institutions about the importance of OA. The focus is on building infrastructure and developing policies that support open research practices. On the other hand, in the USA, there is already a strong foundation for OA with established repositories and policies at many academic institutions.

Despite these differences, both countries have a shared objective of making scholarly research accessible to everyone. They understand that OA publishing not only benefits individual researchers but also contributes to collective knowledge advancement on a global scale. By embracing OA principles, both India and the USA are paving the way for a more inclusive and accessible research landscape.

Benefits of Open Access Publishing for Students:

Increased Visibility and Citation: A study carried out by the Research Information Network looking at articles published in Nature Communications found that the OA articles were viewed three times more often than non-OA content.

Greater Collaboration: When barriers are eliminated, collaboration flourishes. OA can lead to interdisciplinary collaborations, connecting thinkers and researchers who might otherwise never have met.

Public Funding, Public Access: A lot of academic research is funded by taxpayers, including students who are also paying tuition and fees that support research at their universities. OA ensures that the public, who have indirectly supported the research, can access the results without additional costs.

Faster Impact: With permissive licenses like those of the Creative Commons structure, researchers are empowered to build on existing research quickly. These researchers can also be students since financial barriers are much reduced.

In conclusion, OA is not simply a publishing model but rather a movement towards a more inclusive and collaborative research ecosystem. This principle holds true whether we're in India or the USA—the idea that knowledge should be free and accessible to everyone.

If you want to learn more about Open Access and to find related information, I highly recommend visiting Open Access week at UTA Libraries. Should you require help with publishing your open access journal or article, feel free to reach out to librariesops@uta.edu