[Air-L] open-access is the future: boycott locked-down academic journals

[danah boyd]

At AOIR this year, we heard a lot about open-access journals and the  
future of academic publishing.  These talks were extremely well- 
received.  At the same time, I have a sneaking suspicion that most of  
us came back home and continued to publish with the same respected  
journals that we've always published with.  I've certainly seen a lot  
of CFPs from folks wanting to publish issues in locked-down journals.

Today, an article of mine was finally published in Sage's Convergence  
series.  I should be excited by this, but I'm actually quite  
depressed.  While I'm lucky to be visible enough that some folks will  
find out about my article and ask me for a copy, most of the articles  
in that issue will barely get read because they are virtually  
inaccessible.  Additionally, while scholars will ask me for my  
article, most policymakers and technologists will not, even though the  
article is probably more relevant to them than it is to you.  I  
believe that the locked-down nature of this publishing regime silences  
academics while capitalizing off of our free labor at every turn.  I  
think that this is unfair, unacceptable, and irresponsible.

Thus, since I'm a blogger, I wrote a ranty blog entry about the topic: http://www.zephoria.org/thoughts/archives/2008/02/06/openaccess_is_t.html

In said ranty blog entry, I laid out a set of steps for how to proceed  
to make change.  For example, I think that all tenured faculty have a  
responsibility to stop publishing in locked-down journals and help  
build up the reputations of open-access ones.  (I even believe that  
those who flout journal's restrictions by publishing their pieces on  
their websites are failing future generations by not pushing for  
change to happen.)  I offer steps for scholars, libraries,  
universities, tenure committees, disciplinary associations, and  
scholars at all stages.

In short, I'd like to see a boycott of locked-down academic journals.   
I think that it's particularly critical in our field since we are  
doing work that is relevant beyond the academy.  I think that we need  
to stand in solidarity to stop this abuse of our labor and this  
silencing of our voices.

Am I crazy?

danah