Ben Aernouts, assistant professor of
Engineering Technology, talks about open access publishing, to make research
information freely available online. He sketches advantages and disadvantages,
and explains different levels of open access. Whilst self-publishing and preprints
are options to make science information freely available, for peer-reviewed
publishing the options are green, diamond, gold and hybrid gold, the latter two
requiring payment of publication fees. Alongside the exponential increase in
papers published each year over the last decades, in recent years we also see an
exponential increase in open access papers, especially for gold open access.
There are, however, disciplinary differences, with up to 60% of open access
papers in biomedical research. Preprint publishing of work in progress means
results become available rapidly, still allowing submission to a journal.
Albeit it that some journals will not accept papers already released as
preprints. Postprint versions can be made available as green access after an
embargo period of typically 6 months for STEM journals and 12 months for HSS journals,
the maxima allowed under Belgian legislation. Open access publishing can
provide exposure and impact of your research, but is also required by public funders
such as FWO and Horizon2020. Horizon Europe will under plan S require immediate
open access (gold or diamond). Accepted manuscripts can be deposited in Lirias.
Diamond open access publishing is supported by the KU Leuven for Fair Open
Access, for example for publishing Leuven University Press books. Exposure of research
can also be enhanced via social media and conferences.