Open-Access Publishing Means More Collaboration

The research paper routine of those seeking a college degree has become increasingly tech-driven. Take a walk around campus libraries and you will find that many students are hunched over their computers, typing away, using electronic catalogue systems or reading an e-book. To the uniformed eye, it seems as if those students have better access to scholarly journals and research than ever before. However, that is not the case.

The Right to Research Coalition is an advocacy group that seeks to "educate and connect students about open-access publishing, and increase pressure on publishers and scholars to make their work freely available online." They represent about 5.5 million students worldwide and recently revealed their new website and blog in October.

The rising costs of college textbooks has continually been a point of contention for many college students, however, the costs of journal subscriptions has risen without much attention. The coalition leaders hope to give students a glimpse at how open-access publishing will impact "students' individual research and on scholarship around the globe, especially as cash-strapped academic libraries cut expensive journal subscriptions." Not only will this help traditional students with research, but it will greatly impact those students that take online classes that may have a harder time getting to a research library.

The director of the coalition, Nick Shockey merely wants to have a place where students can go and "learn about these issues." Shockey really wants "to start teaching individual students."

After a few student organizations drafted the Student Statement on the Right to Research, the Washington-based group, with the help of the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, was established in June 2009. It was with this declaration by students for students that the advocacy for open-access publishing picked up steam in the classroom, while it had already been around in scholarly and librarian circles for years.

Since then, the support amongst students has increased substantially. More than 28 member organizations have joined, including the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students, the American Medical Student Association and the United States Student Association to name a few. Mr.Shockey continues to emphasize the "great opportunity to act on the national and state level" when it comes to providing open-access publishing to students and to other scholars.Visit https://www.alduspress.com/

Mr.Shockey and the coalition hope to expand beyond domestic borders and reach out across the globe. For students and scholars that live "in countries where subscription and shipment costs restrict access to new research", this online element will open many doors of opportunities and knowledge. "Our goal is to disseminate this knowledge as widely as possible," says Mr.Shockey. It will also give online program students the ability to access information that might have otherwise been unavailable.

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