Academic authorship, publishing agreements and open access: Survey Results

Abstract

This report presents the results from an online survey, Academic Authorship,
Publishing Agreements and Open Access, which was conducted by the OAK Law
Project from the 2nd October 2007 through to the 9th November 2007. The OAK Law
Project is part of the Queensland University of Technology Faculty of Law and is
funded by the Australian Federal Government Department of Education, Employment
and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).

The OAK Law Project seeks to promote strategies for the management of copyright
in order to facilitate optimal access to research output, particularly publicly funded
research.

The online survey implemented recommendations made in the OAK Law Report
No.1 Creating a Legal Framework for Copyright Management of Open Access within
the Australian Academic and Research Sector, August 2006 (http://dev-www.eprints.qut.edu.au/archive/00006099/01/Printed_Oak_Law_Project_Report.pdf at p 156 to 158).

The aim of the survey was to obtain empirical evidence relating to:

· authors' experiences in publishing periodical publications, journal
articles, research papers, conference papers and book chapters;

· author's knowledge of publishing agreements and their experience in
dealing with publishers;

· authors' awareness of the different terms and conditions in publishing
agreements under which these items have been published;

· authors' knowledge and attitude towards Open Access and Open
Access Journals; and

· authors' understanding of the legal rights and responsibilities impacting
on Open Access to their published items.

The results received from the survey will be used in developing model publishing
agreements and template addenda, publishing guides and practical toolkits and
training materials for academic authors and publishers.