{"id":8016,"date":"2015-01-30T11:42:43","date_gmt":"2015-01-30T11:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost\/wordpress72\/?p=26882"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:26","slug":"state-secretary-lets-not-keep-articles-under-lock-and-key-for-two-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2015\/01\/30\/state-secretary-lets-not-keep-articles-under-lock-and-key-for-two-years\/","title":{"rendered":"State Secretary: “Let\u2019s not keep articles under lock and key for two years”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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State Secretary Sander Dekker intends to push through free access to scientific articles \u2013 any which way. It\u2019s only a matter of time until the world follows the Netherlands\u2019 lead, he says: \u201cWe\u2019re at the forefront of developments in this field.\u201d<\/b> <\/p>\n

The State Secretary intends to change tack completely: in ten years or so, everyone should enjoy unrestricted access to all Dutch scientific publications. Because why should doctors, entrepreneurs or teachers pay to read scientific articles, if the scientists were actually able to conduct their research thanks to public funding?<\/p>\n

Expensive subscriptions<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cWithin university walls, it is entirely natural for people to have access to any scientific article they are interested in reading,\u201d explains Dekker. \u201cStill, the libraries need to take out expensive subscriptions to this end. And as soon as you start working elsewhere, this access is denied again. Quite strange.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the State Secretary\u2019s view it\u2019s a matter of principle: \u201cWith words like knowledge and innovative society forever on our lips, it would actually help if this knowledge was indeed accessible to all. Likewise, as a scientist you need to be able to look beyond the boundaries of your discipline and freely engage in the exchange of knowledge.\u201d That is why Dekker is an advocate of \u2018open access\u2019: unrestricted access to peer-reviewed knowledge.<\/p>\n

Related: Universities considering Elsevier boycott over issue of open access <\/a><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Gold or green variant<\/p>\n

There are two kinds of open access: the so-called \u2018gold\u2019 and \u2018green\u2019 variants. In the gold variant, you can access journal articles with a click of the button, free of charge \u2013 the information is not cordoned off by some payment scheme. In the case of \u2018green\u2019 open access, users are still required to pay to read the contents of a recent journal; but in due time, articles are also archived in the university\u2019s public repository.<\/p>\n

Dekker personally prefers the gold version of open access. \u201cThe green variant often involves lengthy embargo terms. In many cases, it takes as long as six months, a year or even two years before your published journal article can be included in a public database. I find this situation far from optimum, since it means that you can only access information free of charge that may well be obsolete by the time you read it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Abolish embargo terms\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

Nevertheless, in many countries, there seems to be a favour for the green variant. Dekker recently collaborated with his British colleague on an opinion piece that will be published in the near future. In this article, the State Secretary does not opt on principle for either the gold or green variant, as he has done in the context of Dutch policy. \u201cRegarding the green variant, I\u2019ve always said that to a large extent, I can agree on this approach, provided we abolish the embargo terms. I don\u2019t want a journal to be able to keep an article under lock and key for two years.\u201d<\/p>\n

And according to Dekker, research funder NWO holds the same view: \u201cYou\u2019re free to choose one of the two options \u2013 gold or green open access \u2013 but in any case, the publication itself needs to be freely available from the outset. But once this green option starts gaining a foothold, more and more journals will start wondering why people would even bother with their publication if they can read the articles for free elsewhere?\u201d He believes that in due time, publishers will automatically start developing a preference for the gold open access variant.<\/p>\n

<\/b><\/p>\n

Outmoded<\/p>\n

In Dekker\u2019s view, the wish to wall off scientific knowledge has had its day. \u201cTogether with the UK, the Netherlands is at the forefront of this development, and we are working to convince our colleagues. The new European Commissioner has embraced this concept, and most young scientists would also welcome open access. But right now, the main changes need to take place within the publishing establishment. Publishers made a very decent profit in the old model, but now it\u2019s time for them to go down a different path. This won\u2019t happen of its own accord, which is why we need to put political pressure on them. And the scientific community also needs to push through change in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wouldn\u2019t it speed up things if other countries were to change tack at same time as the Netherlands? \u201cThe Netherlands is a major player in the market for peer-reviewed research,\u201d days Dekker. \u201cThe outside world is following our negotiations here with keen interest. I am delighted that the Dutch universities are proving such tough negotiators in this context. But indeed, the more people you are with, the greater your clout as a group.\u201d HOP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t

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