Oxford-style Debate: Has the Open Access Movement Failed?

Open Access was intended to solve the problems of accessibility, affordability, and equity in scholarly communication and has fundamentally reshaped scholarly communications in the 20+ years since the Budapest Open Access Initiative. And yet, a longtime and respected commentator on the open access movement, Richard Poynder, recently declared that the Open Access movement has failed, noting that it had failed to solve affordability and equity and that improvements in accessibility were at risk from the deteriorating geopolitical situation.

This Oxford-style debate will see two teams debating the resolution "The OA Movement has Failed," with the winner based on audience votes before and after the debate. Don't miss this exciting final session for the conference, where your participation will decide the outcome!

Publication Date

2024 June

46th Annual Meeting

45

"Inflection Point: Setting the Course for the Future of Scholarly Communication" Huge growth in proposals and publications, a greater focus on researchers as both author and reader, evolving open access publishing models, and the urgent need for equity and inclusion are disrupting traditional publishing infrastructure and processes. In addition, the explosive capabilities of artificial intelligence will likely disrupt every facet of scholarly communication, but represent both opportunities and threats. We are at an inflection point—our decisions will determine both the value we deliver as an industry, as well as the values we reflect as a community.