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 (See link to 'Related Work' below)).

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.