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

[Martin Garthwaite]

Danah,

You're certainly not crazy, I currently have no plans for an academic career
when I finish my PhD, but I would challenge the concept of free labour.
Surely publishing papers in respected journals is an investment in your
career. Quality of papers not quantity I'm guessing is the goal for most?

Martin

On Feb 7, 2008 6:07 AM, danah boyd <aoir.z3z at danah.org> wrote:

> 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
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-- 
Martin Garthwaite

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