The case for open access publishing, with special reference to open access journals and their prospects in South Africa

Abstract

Open access publishing is an initiative that aims to provide universal, unrestricted free access to full-text scholarly materials via the Internet. This presents a radically different approach to the dissemination of research articles that has traditionally been controlled by the publishing enterprise that regulates access by means of subscriptions and licences fees levied on users, predominantly academic libraries. In presenting the case for open access publishing, the thesis explored the contemporary research environment, changing modes of knowledge production, the problems associated with the existing academic journal system, and the subsequent growth of the open access movement as an intervention to reclaim scientific communication. It highlighted the ways in which open access better answers the requirements of researchers, funders, governments, and society more broadly.